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GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
A GUIDE TO THE AMATEUR IN THE
Fruit, Vegetable, and Flower Garden,
WITH FULL DIRECTIONS FOR THE
Greenhouse, Conservatory, and Window Garden.
BY
PETER HEXDERSON,
ArTHOB OF "QABDEXIXG FOB PBOFIT," " PBACTICAL FLORICCLTURE." " HAXD-
BOOK OF PLANTS,' " GABDBX AND FABM TOPICS," -HOW THE FaKM PATS," ETC.
NEW, ENLARGED EDITION,
ILLUSTRATED.
NEW YORK:
0. JTDD CO., DAVID W. JUDD, Preset,
751 BROADWAY.
1888.
Entered, accoraing to Act of Congress, in the j-ear 1887, by the
O. JUDD CO.,
In the OflBce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washintrton.
\^ CONTENTS.
J d — v^^ —
oO Preface to Second Edition 7
. Introduction to First Edition 8
^^ CHAPTER I.
^ Location and Soil 9
V CHAPTER II.
Drainage 10
CHAPTER III.
Preparation of the Ground 13
CHAPTER IV.
Walks.-.. 14
^ CHAPTER V.
^ Manures 17
CBAPTER VI.
Special Fertilizers for Particular Plants - . 20
CHAPTER VII.
The Lawn 23
CHAPTER VIII.
Designs for Garden 27
CHAPTER IX.
Plantin.ii' of Lawns and Flower Beds 31
CHAPTER X.
Fall or Holland Bulbs, etc.. 44
CHAPTER XI.
Propagation of Plants by Seeds 61
CHAPTER XII.
Propagation of Plants by Cuttings - 64
CHAPTER XIII.
Propagating by Layering 68
CHAPTER XIV.
About Grafting and Budding - 69
CHAPTER XV.
How Grafting and Budding are Done - 74
CHAPTER XVI.
Treatment of Tropical Bulbs, Seeds, etc 80
CHAPTER XVII.
The Potting of Plants 83
CHAPTER xVlII.
Winter-Flowering Plants 85
CHAPTER XIX.
Unhealthy Plants— The Remedy 104
CHAPTER XX.
Plants Suited for Summer Decoration 106
(I")
589888
IV COisTENTS.
CHAPTER XXI.
Hanging^ Baskets 112
CHAPTER XXII.
Window Gardening - 116
CHAPTER XXIII.
Culture of Water Lilies and other Aquatic Plants - - 118
CHAPTER XXIV.
The Chrysanthemum 147
CHAPTER XXV.
Parlor Gardening, or the Cultivation of Plants in Rooms 153
CHAPTER XXVI.
Wardian Cases, Ferneries, and Jardinieres. 159
CHAPTER XXVII.
Greenhouses Attached to Dwellings - ..161
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Detached Greenhouses, Modes of Heating, etc 165
CHAPTER XXIX.
Greenhouses or Pits without Artificial Heating. 184
CHAPTER XXX.
Combined Cellar and Greenhouse. 186
CHAPTER XXXI.
Hardy Shrubs, Climbers, and Trees.. 189
CHAPTER XXXII.
Hardy Herbaceous Perennials 193
CHAPTER XXXIIl.
Flowers which will Grow in the Shade 199
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Insects and other Parasites In j urious to Plants 200
CHAPTER XXXV.
Frozen Plants 208
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Mulching - 209
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Shading ---- 211
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
The Law of Color in Flowers --- 215
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Humbugs in Horticulture - 216
CHAPTER XL.
PiTjning. -- - 233
CHAPTER XLL
Hardy Grapes - - 238
CHAPTER XLII.
The Cold Grapeiy - 247
CONTENTS. V
CHAPTER XLIII.
The Hothouse or Foreinj? Grapery 253
CHAPTER XLIV.
The Strawberry 256
CHAPTER XLV.
Cottage Gardening — A Digression .301
CHAPTER XLVI.
The Vegetable Garden 303
CHAPTER XL VII.
Garden Implements 359
Monthly Calendar of Operations -. 385
ILLUSTKATIONS.
1. Rubble Drain 11
2. Horse-shoe Drain Tile 11
3. Triangular Board Drain.. 12
4. Approach to a House —
Drive and Path 15
5. Section of Road with Drain
each side 18
6. Design for Laying out
Grounds '. 38
7. Design for (i rounds with
Carriage Drive 30
8. Diagram of Flower Bed.. 32
9. Section of Flower Bed .... 33
10. Carpet Bed as Planted 37
11. Design for Flower Bed 37
12. Design for Flower Bed 38
13. Design for Flower Bed 39
14. Design for Flower Bed 40
15. Design for Flower Bed 41
16. Design for Flower Bed 42
17. Fancy Bedding at Lincoln
Park, Chicago 43
18. Group of Holland Bulbs.. 46
19. Pot Culture of the Bermu-
da Lily. 49
20. Lily of the Valley.. 51
21. Lilv of the Valley " Pip "
— Good. 53
23. Amaryllis (Vittata Type).. 58
23. Cyclamen 60
34. Proper and Improper State
of Cutting 65
25. Saucer Propagation 67
26. Propagation by Layering.. 68
27. Cleft Grafting (the Cklt). 76
28. Cleft Grafting? (the Cion).. 76
29. Cleft Grafting (Graft fitted) 76
30. Whip Graft 77
31. Side Graft.--. 77
33. Grafting the CamclUa ... 78
33. Budding (the Bud). 79
34. Buddiui,^ (the Cut) 79
35. Budding(the Bud in place) 79
36. Buddin2:(the Bud tied)-. 79
37. Rustic Hanging Basket. -.113
38. A Veranda Garden 115
39. Plain Window Box 116
40. Window Box Ornamented
with Tiles 117
41. Aquatic Plants in Central
Park. 134
43. Water Lily Bed 136
43. Amazon Lily, Victoria regia\28
44. Nympha?a De voniensis 133
45. ChrysanthemumMrs. Brett 150
46. Chrysanthemum Culliug-
fordi.. :.153
47. Folding Plant Stand. 157
48 Wardian Case 159
49. Fernery with Glass Shade. 159
50. Base-burning Bo'ler. 163
51. Base-bui'uing Boiler (Sec-
tion) 163
53. Conservatory attached to
Dwelling (Elevation) 163
53. Conservatory attached to
Dwelling (Ground Plan). 163
54. Conservatory attached to
Dwelling 164
55. Greenhouse with equal
Spans .166
56. End View and Plan of
Greenhouse or Grapery.. 167
57. Elevation (in pail) of De-
tached Greenhouse or
Grapery 168
58. Three-quarter Span Green-
house 171
59. Greenhouse, Rose House,
and Potting Room 173
VI
IXDEX TO ILLUSTRATIOXS.
60. Greenhouse, Rose House,
or Vinery 174
61. Conservatory with Win2:s-175
62. Greenhouse heated by Flue
under the center Bench. .178
63. Section of Greenhouse
heated by a Flue-.. 180
64. Sunken Pit .185
65. Greenhouse and Cellar
Combined 188
66. Where to Cut in Pruning
(too close to Bud) 236
67. Where to Cut in Pruning
(too far from Bud) 236
68. Where to Cut in Pruning
(the proper place) 236
69. Pruning for Shape (where
to Cut) -237
70. Pruning for Shape (to
throw branches in). 237
71. Pnining for Shape (to
throw branches out) 237
72. Grape Vine with Two
Shoots - 240
73. Grape Vine with Arms 240
74. (jrrape Vine Spiu'-Pruned- -241
75. View of a Vineyard. 242
76. Grape Vine Cutting 243
77. Niagara Grape in Fruit 245
78. Greenhouse or Grapery
(Section) 247
79. Lean-to Grapery (Section) 249
80. Forcing Grapery (Plan) 254
81. Front Elevation of Forcing
Grapery 255
82. Section of ForcinuGrapery 255
83. Strawberry (Striking in
Pots) 258
84. Strawberry,the Henderson 261
85. Strawberry, Crimson Clus-
ter.. --.262
86. Strawberry, Jersey Queen 263
87. Strawberry, Sharpless 2M:
88. Strawberry, the J ewell 265
89. Strawberry Forcing House 267
90. Raspberry, Laying down
Canes 271
91. Raspberry, Training to a
Wire.-..' 271
92. Raspberry, the Hansell 272
93. Raspberry, Golden Queen. 274
94. Black Cap Raspberry
(Thimbleberry), the
Gregg - . .275
95. Blackberry, the Early
Harvest. --.277
96. Blackbeny, the Wilson, Jr. 278
97. Blackbeiry or Dewberry,
Lucretia 279
98. Blackberry, Crystal White. 280
99. Currant, Fay's Prolific. --.281
100. Currant, Black Champion. 281
101. GJooseberry, The Industry. 283
102. Cherry, Black Tailarian ..287
103. Persimmon, Japan 290
104. Apple, FaU Pippin 294
105. Pear, The Keifler 295
106. Pear, Cordon Training. --.296
107. Pear, The Bartlett 297
108. Plan for Fruit and Vege-
table Garden 304
109. Asparagus, Plant With
Roots^ .-.305
110. Asparagus, The Palmetto. 306
111. Artichoke, Globe 308
112. Artichoke, Jerusalem 308
113. Brussels Sprouts .313
114. Cauliflower, Henderson's
Early Snowball 315
115. Cabbage, Savoy .316
116. Carrot, Varieties of 317
117. Celery. '' HandUng " 320
118. Celery, Banked Up 321
119. Celery, Stored in Trenches
for Winter 323
120. Celery, Henderson's White
Plume 323
121. Corn, Varieties of Sweet.. 326
122. Bryant's Plant Protector.. 327
123. Lettuce, Black-seeded
Simpson .332
124. Lettuce, Paris White Cos .333
125. Musk Melon, Baltimore ..334
126. Musk Melon, Montreal
Market . 334
127. Water Melon,' Scaly Bark .335
128. IMushrooms 337
129. Onion, Southport White
Globe 341
130. Pea, American Wonder.. -343
131. Pea, Champion of Eng-
land 345
132,- Rhubarb, St, Martin's ----348
133. Sea Kale 350
134. Squash, Essex Hybrid 352
135. Squash, Hubbard - 353
136. Tomato Perfection Grown
on Trellis.. 354
137. Tomato Perfection 355
138. Turnip, White Egg 356
139. Turnip,Extra Early Milan. 357
140-203. Garden Implements,
359-384
Tail Piece, a Cluster of Grapes . .298
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.
Twelve years have passed since the first edition of
" Gardening for Pleasure " was published. lu that time
vast strides and changes have been made in all depart-
ments of horticulture, so that it has been found necessary
not only to greatly enlarge the scope of this work, but
also to make many changes. The newest and best
methods of culture have been substituted for such as
a farther experience has shown to have been faulty, so
that it is believed that in all matters pertaining to
amateur gardening, or ^^ gardening for pleasure," the
ground is as well covered as is practicable in a book of
this size treating on such a great variety of subjects. As
in the first edition, 1 have endeavored to use the plainest
and simplest language I could, avoiding as far as possible
all technical and scientific terms used by the professional
gardener, the use of which would only tend to coniuse and
befog the beginner. Although this Avork is written only
for such as garden for pleasure, yet I am well aware that
hundreds every season, who have a taste for horticulture,
branch out from private into commercial gardening,
either from necessity or for a love of making a business
'of the work. To such, if the business of growing flowers
or plants for sale is to be begun, my new edition of
** Practical Floriculture" is recommended. If growing
fruit or vegetables for market, I advise *' Gardening for
Profit." If the work of the farm is wanted to be made
profitable, I flatter myself that my recent work on that
subject, '^ How the Farm Pays," will help to that end.
PETER HENDERSON.
Jersey City Heights, N. J., Jan. let, 1888.
(1)
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST EDITION.
I HAVE endeavored, in writing " Gardening for Pleas-
ure," to divest it, as far as I was competent to do so, of
the technical terms and phrases which professional gar-
deners use in writing or talking on matters relating to
horticulture, and to use the plainest language at my
command in describing the simplest methods of culture.
Whether I have succeeded in making the subject as clear
as I have desired to do, those who read the work must
decide.
My aim in writing the book was to make it such as
would be useful to the occupant of a city lot, or to the
possessor of a few window plants, as well as to the owner
of a country residence that is fully appointed in all mat-
ters relating to the cultivation of flowers, fruits, and
vegetables. The necessity for such a book has been
made evident to me by inquiries from hundreds of
amateurs in gardening ; inquiries to many of which
neither of my previous works ("Gardening for Profit" or
"Practical Floriculture") furnished proper replies ; the
one being written mainly for information for the market
gardener, and the other for the commercial florist.
PETER HENDERSON.
Jersey City, N. J., Oct., 1875.
(8)
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
CHAPTER I.
LOCATION AND SOIL.
"Whenever practicable the location of tlie garden
should be such as is sheltered from the north and west,
either by hills or belts of timber. Where there is no such
shelter naturally, it is of the first importance to plant belts
of evergreens, such as Norway or Hemlock Spruce, in
double or treble lines, at distances of six or eight feet
apart, or if close enough to form hedges, all the better.
When this is not done, a high board fence for shelter will
answer a temporary purpose, but is neither so ornamental
nor so effective as the shelter given by growing trees.
Evergreens, such as Norway or Hemlock Spruce, can
be bought from two to three feet high, at from 115 to
$25 per hundred, and should be planted, according to
size, from three to four feet apart, making a cheap and
ever-improving screen or fence, which may be trimmed
to any required hight or thickness.
It is rare, in determining the site for a residence, that
the soil is taken into consideration, and, in consequence,
we sometimes find that the garden surrounding the house
presents a barren appearance, that nothing can remedy
short of placing a foot of good soil over the whole surface.
This condition is not so often due to the natural poverty
(9)
10 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
of the soil, as to the grading o2 the surface soil, or
to filling Lij^ to the desired grade with the material
thrown out in excavating the cellars, or other subsoil,
clay, or gravelly material, and placing these over the
soil intended for the garden. This is often done for
the convenience of contractors, to the great injury of the
proprietor, without either being aware of the bad results.
As a good soil will tend more than all else to give satis-
factory results in garden operations, it is all important to
secure it. When discretion can be used in deciding on a
location, one should be chosen that has naturally a suit-
able soil, rather than to attempt to make it so by carting
a foot of good soil over the bad, which would be found
not only very expensive, but, in many situations, next to
impracticable. I have before said, in some of my writ-
ings on this subject, that the soil best suited for all gar-
den purposes is what is known as '^ sandy loam," not
less than ten inches deep, with a subsoil of sand or
gravel. Such a soil rarely requires drainage, is easily
worked, and gives better results than that known as
" clayey loam," with a putty-like subsoil of blue or
yellow clay, which must be drained thoroughly before
a seed is sown or a plant set out, or there will be no
satisfactory reward for the labor.
CHAPTER II.
DEAINAGE.
As drainage will be in many instances indispensable to
success, I will briefly state a few of the simplest methods
that may be adopted, premising that it is utterly useless
to expect to cultivate any soil satisfactorily that does not
freely and rapidly carry off the surface water. An expert
DRAIN'A(}E.
11
<^f4\^*
in soils can determine almost to a certainty, by digging
down two or three feet, whether or not a soil requires
drainage ; but the safest guide for the inexperienced is to
judge by the growing crops in his
neighborhood. If on a similar soil
good crops of corn, potatoes, or
hay are found on undrained land,
then it is certain there is no ne-
cessity to drain; for no matter how
cultivated, or how heavily manured
land is, there can never be a good
crop raised in any season, if the
soil is water-logged. If the place
to be drained is of large extent,
and the ground nearly level, it will
always be safer to call in the services
of an engineer to give the proper levels and indicate the
necessary fall, wliich should never be less than half a foot
in the hundred, and if more can be had, so much the bet-
ter. In heavy, clayey soils, we make our lateral drains
three feet deep and fifteen feet apart. Where there is less
clay in the subsoil we make them from twenty to thirty
feet apart and four feet deep. If stones are plenty on
the ground, they may be profitably used in filling up the
excavated ditch to half its depth, as shown in figure 3,
Fig. 1.— BUBBLE DBAIN.
Fig. 2. — HOKSE-SHOE DRAIN TILE.
and which is known as a rubble drain, using the larger
stones at the bottom and smaller at top, and covering
over with inverted sods, or six inches of shavings or hay,
to keep the soil from being washed in among the stones,
and thus choking up the drain. But when they can be
12 GARDE XING FOR PLEASURE.
obtained at a reasonable price., the best and most durable
draining is that done by tiles. It makes but little differ-
ence whether the tile used is the round with collars, or
the horse-shoe. We rather prefer the latter, particularly
if the bottom of the drain is ^^ spongy/"' when we use a
board for the bottom of the drain, as shown in figure 2.
Here, again, great care must be used in covering up the
tile with sods, shavings, or other covering, so as to pre-
vent the soil being washed into the crevices and choking
up the drain. This board is a common one of hemlock
or spruce, cut in four pieces. It is ripped through the
middle, and then these parts split in two, making boards
of five inches wide by half an inch in thickness, thus
rig. 3. — TBIANGITLAIt BOABD DBAIN.
making the common hemlock board stretch out to a
length of fifty feet. It is often a very troublesome mat-
ter to get the few drain tiles necessary to drain a small
garden, and in such cases an excellent and cheap substi-
tute can be had by using one of boards. Take ordinary
rough boards, pine, hemlock, or spruce, cut them into
widths of three or four inches, and nail them together
so as to form a triangular pipe, as represented in fig-
ure 3, taking care to " break the joints " in putting the
lengths together. Care must also be taken that the boards
are not nailed together too closely, else they might swell
Eo as to prevent the water passing into the drain to be
carried off. These drains are usually set with a flat side
down, but they will keep clear better if put with a point
down, though it is more trouble to lay them. Drains
made in this way will last much longer than might be sup-
posed. In excavations recently made we found wooden
PREPAEATION OF THE GROUND. 13
drains in perfect order that had been in the ground for
twenty-five years.
CHAPTER III.
PREPARATION OF THE GROUND.
After draining (if draining is necessary) comes the
preparation of the soil. Presuming that the ground
where the new garden is to be made is an open space,
clear of trees or other obstructions, there is no cultiva-
tion so cheap and yet so thorough as plowing and har-
rowing. To do this properly, the ordinary plow should
be followed by the subsoil plow, stirring the subsoil up
about fifteen inches deep, so that the water will pass
through to the drains, natural or artificial, freely. After
the plow and subsoiler, follows the harrow (the Acme is
the best ; see Implements), which should be weighted, so
that the teeth sink six inches into the soil, in order to
completely pulverize it. In Europe, it would be consid-
ered sacrilege to use a plow or harrow in the preparation
of a private garden, and most of old-country gardeners
among us will stand aghast at such advice ; but I have
been through all parts of the work, and am well satisfied,
from no limited practice, that plowing and harrowing
will not only do the work at one-fourth of the cost, but
in a better manner than the ordinary digging or trench-
ing with the spade. Let me here caution that great care
be taken never to plow, dig, harrow, rake, or hoe ground
when wet. If work must be done, pull out weeds, or set
plants, if you will, but never, under any circumstances,
stir the soil in preparation for a crop until it is dry
enough not to clog. If stirred while wet, the particles
stick together, and the crop is not only injured for the
season, but in some soils the bad effects show for years.
14 GARDENIXG fOK PLEASURE.
CHAPTER IV.
WALKS.
It is no unusual thing to see the owner of a neat cot-
tage make himself perfectly ridiculous by the way in
which he lavs out the walk from the street to his front
door. There is a prevailing opinion that such walks
should be curved ones, and gentlemen, often otherwise
shrewd and intelligent, place themselves without ques-
tion in the hands of some self-styled ^^ garden architect/'
and thus manage to make themselves the laughing stock
of a neighborhood. There was a well-marked instance
of this in a garden occupying a block in almost the cen-
ter of Jersey City, where a man pretending to have a full
knowledge of the subject, induced the proprietor to have
a walk running about one hundred yards from the street
to the house, made so curved that its length was nearly
twice that distance. It was hard on the butchers and
grocer's boys, and it was said that even book-peddlers,
sewing-machine agents, and lightning-rod men looked
ruefully at it and left him in peace. Some old authority
on this subject says that there "never should be any
deviation from a straight line unless from some real or
apparent cause." So if curved lines are insisted on, a
tree, rock, or building must be placed at the bend as a
reason for going around such obstacles. It will be evi-
dent to any one who reflects upon the matter, that a
curved walk running a distance of a hundred yards or so
from the street to the house, across an unplanted lawn,
is utterly absurd. All short foot- walks from the street
to the house should be straight, entering from the street at
as near right angles as possible, and leading direct to the
front door. There should be no necessity for a carriage
road to the front entrance of a house, unless it is distant
WALKS.
15
at least 100 feet from the street, and tlien a drive is best
made by having an entrance at each side of the lot, as
given in figure 4, presuming that the width of the
ground is 500 feet, and the distance from the street to the
front door is 150 feet. Even here the foot-walk should
be direct. The width of the roads or walks must be
governed by the extent of the grounds. For carriage-
way the width should not be less than ten feet, and for
foot-walks, five feet. Nothing is more annoying than to
STREET
Fig-. 4.— APPROACH TO A HOUSE— DRIVE AND PATH.
have a shower-batli in early morning from the dew from
an overhanging branch in your narrow walk. We often
see gardens of considerable pretensions where the walks
are not more than three fet wide, where it is utterly im-
possible for two persons to walk abreast without getting
their dresses torn or faces scratched by overhanging
branches. Besides, it argues a narrowness in the
owner, particularly if the grounds are at all extensive,
and looks as if he were determined to cultivate every
available foot of land. Of course, it is another matter
when the garden plot is limited to the width of a city lot
(20 or 25 feet) ; then such economy of space is perfectly
excusable. The character of the soil must in a great
measure determine tlie manner of making roads or walks.
Every one must have noticed that, after a heavy rain, un-
paved streets in some districts remain next to impassable
16
GAllDENING FOR PLEASURE.
for many hours, while in others, after the same amcnnt
of rain, the roads will seem firm and comparatively dry.
In the former all carriage roads, and even foot-walks, to
have any satisfaction from them, should have their foun-
dations formed something like that shown in figure 5.
This gives thorough drainage for the water at each side,
and a depth of from one foot at center to two feet on
sides of rubble stone and gravel to form the bed of the
road or walk ; but in sandy or gravelly soils, through
which the water passes quickly, no such expense is nec-
essary, as an equally good road may be made by five or
six inches of gravel. In foot-walks on such soils, I have
Fig. 5,— SECTION OF ROAD WITH DEAIN EACH SIDE.
found that three or four inches of gravel mixed with one
fourth its bulk of cement to ^^bind," when w^atered and
w^ell rolled, makes an excellent smooth walk, and one in
which, because of its hardness, there is no trouble with
weeds. Let me here say, that when weeds are trouble-
some on walks, or more particularly in paved gutters,
that the quickest way to get rid of them is to sow salt
over the surface about as thick as sand is strewed on a
floor, and then sprinkle with water. Care must be taken,
however, that the salt does not get on the grass or other
plants, as, of course, it would be as quickly destructive to
these as to the weeds.
MANURES. 17
CHAPTER V.
MANURES.
Whether one wishes to cultivate vegetables, fruits, or
flowers, all soils, to give good results, sooner or later need
manure; and this is more particularly the case with what
are known as '^^ vegetables," these being usually quick
growing, succulent plants. No ^'fertilizer" answers so
well for all purposes as thoroughly decayed stable ma-
nure ; whether from horse or cow stable makes but little
difference, except that that from the horse stable is best
suited for heavy soils, while that from the cow stable
suits best for light soils. The quantity used for vegeta-
bles or fruits should not be less than would cover the whole
surface of the ground at least three inches deep, and it
should be mixed with the soil as thoroughly as possible
by plowing or spading. In the absence of stable manure,
recourse must be had to concentrated fertilizers, the best
of which are Peruvian guano and bone dust. Here a
word of caution is necessary as to the quantity to be
used, as their fertilizing qualities are concentrated in-
stead of being diffused, as in stable manure. If either
guano or bone dust, or fertilizers of similar character,
come directly in contact, in large quantities, with the
roots of plants, it injures them beyond remedy ; hence in
the use of these the necessity for caution. In our large
field practice in vegetable growing, we use about 2,000 lbs.
per acre of guano, sowing it on the surface of the ground
after plowing, and then harrowing it in so as to mix it
with the soil to the depth of five or six inches. Now, as
there are 4,840 square yards in an acre, it will be seen
that something less than half a pound of guano or bone
dust is required for every square yard of surface to be
fertilized. This quantity will just nicely cover the sur-
18 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
face about as thick as the sand on a sanded floor. After
spreading on the dug surface, it should be mixed with
the soil with a spading fork or long toothed rake to the
depth of five or six inches, bearing in mind that the more
thorouo-hly it is mixed with the soil the better will be the
result. If used in " hills " for corn, tomatoes, melons,
etc., the same proportionate quantity is to be applied,
and the mixing must be equally thorough. Wood ashes
are often a convenient fertilizer, and will be found to give
excellent results if used as advised for guano and bone
dust ; but three or four times the quantity will be re-
quired to obtain the same results.
HOW TO USE COXCEXTRATED FERTILIZERS.
Whatever kind of concentrated fertilizer may be used,
I find It well repays the labor to prepare it in the follow-
ino" manner : to every bushel of fertilizer add three bush-
els of either leaf mold (from the woods), well pulverized
muck, sweepings from a paved street, or, in the absence
of either of the above, common garden soil. In every
case the material employed must be as dry as it is possi-
ble to procure it. When guano is used, be careful to
have it thoroughly pulverized and broken up before mix-
ing with the other ingredients. The fertilizer must be
well mixed with the soil or mold used by turning it at least
twice. This mixing should be done in winter, or early
spring, and the material packed away in barrels in a dry
place for at least a month before using it. The main ob-
ject of this operation is for the better separation and di-
vision of the fertilizer, so that, when applied, it can
be more regularly distributed over the land ; besides this,
no doubt the fertilizing qualities of the leaf-mold or
other substance are developed by this treatment. Experi-
ment has shown that this method of using concentrated
fertilizers of nearly all kinds materially increases their
value. One of the most successful market gardeners in
MANURES. 19
our neighborhood has adopted this method for years,
and in extensive experiments with different kinds of fer-
tilizers, with and without being mixed, finds a saving of
quite one third in quantity in thus treating tiiem. He
finds that 1,200 lbs. of guano, mixed with two tons of
garden soil, and sown over the surface after plowing, and
then harrowed in, is eqnal in effect to 2,000 lbs. of guano
used without mixing.
We have ourselves experimented with guano, blood
and bone, and bone flour, with nearly like results, and
as a top dressing for grass we think the advantage of mix-
ing is even more marked. AVhen fertilizers are applied
to corn, potatoes, tomatoes, etc., in hills or drills, it is
not only more economical to mix in this manner, but
much safer in inexperienced hands; for when any strong
fertilizer is used pure, injury is often done to the roots by
their coming in contact with it in too great quantity in the
raw state, owing to imperfect mixing in the hill or drill,
while, if composted as advised above, the danger is much
less.
In regard to which of the fertilizers is most desirable,
we find but little difference, provided each is pure.
Guano at $80 per ton is relatively as cheap as blood and
bone fertilizer at $65, bone flour at $50, or superphosphate
at $40 ; for in the lower priced articles we find we are
obliged to increase the quantity to obtain the same results,
so that the cost is nearly alike whichever be used. The all-
important point is the purity of the article, a matter that
few working farmers or gardeners ever attempt to decide
except by the results in culture; hence we advise each one
who has been using a fertilizer that has proved satisfac-
tory, to experiment but lightly with another until the
new article has proved its merits. The competition in the
manufacture of articles so much in use as fertilizers, has
in many instances forced down prices below the point at
which they can be profitably produced in a pure state; hence
20 GARDENIXG FOR PLEASURE.
the widespread adulteration with "salt cake," "plaster,"
and other articles utterly worthless but to make weight.
Next in meanness to the quack who extracts money from
a poor consumptive for his vile nostrums, is the man who
compels the poor farmer or gardener, maybe a thousand
miles away struggling for an existence, to pay freight on
the sand mixed with his guano, or the plaster in his bone
dust. In this relation I am reminded of a retribution
that fell on the "Sands of Life" man, who figured so
conspicuously a few years ago in New York. The adver-
tisement of this philanthropic gentleman, it will be re-
membered, was that "A retired clergyman, whose Sands
of Life had nearly run out," would, for a consideration,
tell how the "running out" could be stopped in others.
A kind-hearted fellow in Illinois, deeply sympathizing
with the old gentleman on account of his loss of "sand,"
sent him by express — but forgot to prepay — a thousand
pounds of the article I It is reported that the "' retired
clergyman," on opening the cask, expressed himself in a
manner not only ungrateful, but utterly unclerical. We
counsel no vengeance, but if some of these sand-mixing
guano men could have the sand sifted out by their vic-
tims with compound interest added, and returned to them
under the fostering care of an express company, it
would be but even-handed justice.
CHAPTER VI.
SPECIAL FERTILIZERS FOR PARTICULAR PLANTS.
A MAX called at my office a few years ago with some
dozen bottles as samples of special manures, indispensa-
ble, he said, as fertilizers for certain kinds of plants.
He had those with him that he claimed to be specially
prepared for cabbage, corn, potatoes, wheat, grass, lawns,
SPECIAL FERTILIZERS FOR PARTICULAR PLA^^TS. 21
beets, etc., etc. He even invaded Flora's realm, and de-
clared that his nostrum for Eoses was a specific for any
languid capers of this sometimes rather coquettish queen
of flowers. His own arguments, which were rather
plausible and glibly uttered, were backed up by numer-
ous certificates — authentic, I have no doubt — where nis
*' potato fertilizer'' had worked wonders with some,
with others his ^'corn manure" had been of undoubted
benefit, and so on all through the list.
Now, I have no reason to say that the vender of these
fertilizers was a quack, except the broad fact, gathered
from an experience of nearly forty years, that has shown
me that it makes but little difference with what fertilizer
a crop is treated, provided the soil is properly pulverized
and the fertilizer applied in proper proportions according
to its strength. Had all his separate kinds of fertilizers
been taken from the same bag (provided that bag con-
tained a good article of bone dust or guano), the result
to his patrons would have been the same, whether he had
used it on one or all of the crops that he had special pre-
scriptions for.
There are few market gardeners in the vicinity of New
York who have not, at one time or another, been obliged
to take anything they could get for fertilizing purposes,
and the difference has never been specially perceptible
when manure from horse stables or cow stables have
been applied, or when $100 per acre have been expended
for bone dust or Peruvian guano, and these all used
on a dozen different crops without any discrimination.
Agricultural chemistry may be all very well in some
respects, but if it gets down to such hair-splitting
niceties as analyzing scores of special plants, and telling
us that we must feed each with only just such food as
the analysis shows it to be composed of, then our common
sense, born of practical experience, must scout and ridi-
cule such nonsense.
2:1 GAEDENIXG FOE PLEASURE.
Plants, like animals, are not so much kept in good
health by the special kind of food given as by the proper
quantity and conditions surrounding the individual when
the food is received ; and what proper temperature and
pulverization of soil are to the plant, air and exercise,
and also proper temperature, are the corresponding con-
ditions necessary for healthy animal life. Who will say
that the beef-fed English laborer is in any way the phys-
ical superior of the Irishman or Scotchman whose daily
food has only been potatoes and oat-meal ? You get
usually fine and nearly equal development in each case,
but it is a condition due to a natural use of the muscles
in the open air in a congenial climate rather than to
anything special in the food. It would be quite as rea-
sonable tj tell us that a special food, chemically consid-
ered, is necessary for each class of our domestic animals
as for our domestic plants, and none but the veriest
charlatan or ignoramus will do either.
CHAPTER VIL
THE LAWN.
Since the introduction of the lawn mower, the keep-
ino- of the lawn has been so simplified that no suburban
residence is complete without one, and there is now no
more excuse for tall grass '' going to hay " in the door
yard than there would be for cobwebs taking possession
of the rooms inside the dwelling. We occasionally see
some parsimonious individual, even now, who remembers
that in his grandfather's days grass was allowed to grow
for the food of the ''critters," and he leaves it for food for
his ''critters " still ; though at the same time his furni-
ture inside, that nobody but himself ever sees, or has an
THE LAWN. 23
opportunity to admire, for such men are not usually trou-
bled with friends, may have cost him ^5,000 or $10,000.
We have two or three notable examples of this kind in our
immediate neighborhood, but it is gratifying to know
that such neighbors are not numerous, for the example
of the majority will soon shame them into decency. To
have a lawn in first rate condition, the ground must be
put in order in the way described under the heads of
*' Draining " and '^Preparation of the Soil ;" for if these
are necessary anywhere, they are still more necessary for
the lawn, the soil of AA^hich should be as thoroughly pul-
verized and enriched by manure as any ground intended
for the cultivation of either vegetables or fruits.
Great care must be taken to have the surface of the
ground for the law^n (unless a very large one) made
perfectly level ; for if this is not done before the lawn is
sown, it cannot be altered except at great expense and
inconvenience. After the surface is made level roughly,
it should be further smoothed with the rake, or, what is
even better, the disc harrow (see Implements), and all
stones of any considerable size removed, so that the surface
will be smooth for the action of the lawn mower. Wher-
ever the extent of the lawn does not exceed 2,500 square
feet, and where sods can be obtained from a suitable pasture
near at hand without much cost, the quickest way to make
the lawn is to sod it ; but before doing so, the ground
should be rolled or beaten down, particularly if any por-
tion of it has been filled in, so that there may be no
*' settling" to form hollows or inequalities. A conven-
ient size of sod to lay down is twelve by eighteen inches,
and of a thickness of tw^o inches. In laying see that the
edges are neatly laid together, and the whole firmly
beaten down with the back of a spade. If it is dry
Aveather when the work is done, it may be necessary to
thoroughly drench the newly-laid sod for a week or so
after, every other evening. When the lawn is too ex-
24: GARDENING FOK PLEASURE.
tensive to be soddei, it can be sown with grass seed, which
will produce a good lawn in three or four months.
Some of the fine lawns seen at Newport, R. I., are
composed almost entirely of Ehode Island Bent Grass
mixed with about one-sixth of white clover ; but the hu-
midity of the atmosphere there has no doubt more to do
with the richness of the lawn than the variety of grass it
is composed of. I may add a caution against the use of
spurious seed for this purpose. It is no uncommon thing,
either through ignorance or short-sighted economy, for
" hayseed " to be taken direct from the hay loft and sown
to form the lawn. If from good hay, the seed will be prin-
cipally orchard grass or timothy and red clover, and vain
would be all the attempts to get a smooth lawn from such
a source. It would be about as reasonable to expect figs
from thistles. The mixtures of grasses prepared by the
seedsmen for the purpose are the simplest and safest to
use. If the soil is rich, and has been thoroughly pre-
pared, three bushels of the lawn grass mixture per acre
will be sufficient; but if thin and poor, from four to five
bushels had better be sown. If for small areas, sow at
the rate of one quart for a space twenty by fifteen, or three
hundred square feet. If sown in early spring, as soon as
the soil is dry enough to work, a good lawn will be
formed by midsummer the first year, if it has been mown
regularly at intervals of eight or ten days. The seed
must be sown as evenly as possible, and for this reason
a calm day must be chosen, as a very slight wind will
throw the seed into heaps. After sowing, the ground
may be lightly harrowed if the surface is large ; if not,
give it an even raking ; but in either case the ground
should be smoothed down with a roller or patted with a
spade, so as to form a smooth surface to be mowed. Al-
though, if a choice can be had, it is best to sow the lawn
seed in early spring, in this latitude in March, April, or
May, yet it can be sown nearly as profitably in September,
THE LAWN. Ji5
or in the more southerly states in October. To keep tlie
lawn in proper condition, it should be mowed over once
every week if the weather is moist, and not less than once
in two weeks even in dry weather ; for if the lawn has
been properly made in the first place, and "top dressed"
with a good coat of well-rotted manure in fall, and the
rough parts raked off in spring, the weather must be dry
and hot indeed to prevent its growth.
LAWNS ox SLOPING BANKS.
It is exceedingly difficult to get a growth of grass from
seed on a sloping bank at an angle of even fifteen degrees,
because a heavy shower of rain on the sloping bank would
wash off the fresh soil before the grass seed has formed
enough roots to hold the young grass in place. To
remedy this the following plan will be found most
effective. To an area fifteen by twenty — three hundred
square feet — or in this proportion, be the area large or
small, take two quarts of lawn grass seed and mix it with
four bushels of rather stiff soil, to which add two bushels
of cow manure ; mix the whole with water to the con-
sistency of thin mortar. This mixture is to be spread on
the sloping bank, first having scratched the surface of the
bank with a rake. It should be spread as thinly as will
make a smooth and even surface ; in short, just as plaster
is spread on a wall. The grass seed will start rapidly,
and quickly make a sod of the ri»'hest green, its smooth,
hard surface preventing its beinf^ furrowed out by the
rains. It will be necessary, until the grass has fully
covered the surface, to keep the plastered bank covered
with hay or straw to prevent the covering from drying or
cracking. If the weather is dry a gentle watering will
hasten the growth of the seed. If sown at a season when
the temperature averages seventy degrees, a green sward
will be obtained in fifteen days. By this method, using
orchard or other strong growing grasses, no cheaper or
2G GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
better plan could be adopted for keeping up railroad or
other embankments.
TO RENO V AT K OLD LAWNS.
Lawns that have been worn oat by neglect or other
causes, or where it is not convenient or desirable to renew
them by plowing up, will be greatly benefited by running
a light harrow over them if the surface is large, or by a
sharp steel rake for smaller areas. After stirring the
surface by such means, judiciously, so as not to injure the
roots too severely, lawn grass should be sown over the
surface, using about half the quantity of seed required
for new lawns, and over this, for each acre, or m the same
proportions for lesser areas, sow five hundred pounds of
some good '•' lawn enricher ;'* again harrow er rake, and
roll down firmly.
WEEDS IN LAWNS,
such as thistles, dandelions, dock roots, etc., can only be
removed by cutting them out with a knife. Thistle and
dock roots should be removed as far as possible ; but as
to others, there is no necessity for cutting the whole root
out. If cut beloiv the crown the root will not start again.
ANTS ON LAWNS
are a pest that we are almost powerless to cope with.
Xothing seems to poison them, as either tiieir instinct
teaches them to avoid the ordinary insect poisons, or
their constitutions are proof against them. Every thing
we have tried has failed, except Pyrethrum or Persian
Insect Powder. This applied by a bellows quickly suffo-
cates them ; but every insect needs to be struck by it, or
it is useless, as it only kills them by suffocation. They
can also be captured by placing fresh bones or molasses
in plates around their haunts ; they attack these before
any thing else. By persistently thus catching and de-
stroying them two or three times a day, they may be
permanently got rid of.
DESTGI^ FOR GARDEX. 27
CHAPTER VIIL
DESIGN FOR GARDEN.
As this book is intended to comprehend all the wants
of a cottage or suburban garden, including flowers, fruits,
and vegetables, it would increase its size too much to
give a great variety of designs for the flower garden.
Those that require such should consult some intelli-
gent landscape gardener. Intelligent, I say, for nine
out of ten that pretend to be landscape gardeners are
not ; but consult a man able to draw a neat design, for
if he canno^ do that he is not a very safe person to be
intrusted with the working out of the plan of another.
You are careful to ascertain that the architect for your
house is a man of education and intelligence before you
entrust yourself in his hands, but when it comes to de-
signing the lawn and flower grounds, the veriest bog-
trotter, who styles himself a ^Handscaper," is too often
allowed to display his "art," and at the same time make
you ridiculous. Rest assured that if such a pretender
has not had ambition enough to become fairly well in-
structed, he is not likely to show much taste in designing
your grounds.
The design (fig. 6) shows an area of 200 feet by 350, or
a plot of nearly two acres. About one third of the whole
facing the street is used for flower garden and for dwell-
ing, the two-thirds in the rear for fruit and vegetable
grounds. There is a point in this sketch to which I
wish to call attention, as it is one too often lost sight of.
The flower garden and lawn face the street, while the
fruit and vegetable grounds are at the rear. The view of
these from the street is shut out upon one side by a
screen or tall hedge of evergreens, f, and upon the other
by a curvilinear glass structure, G^ which may be used
GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
200 Feet Front.
Fig. 6. — DESIGN FOR LAYING OUT GROUNDS.
DESIGX POR GARDEN-. 29
either as a grapery or a greenhouse. The walk, w, passes
on each side of the house to connect with other walks at
the rear. The beds, f, may be planted in ribbon lines
either with flowering plants or those with brilliant and
strongly contrasting foliage. The flower beds, f, each
side of the entrance near the front, may be made of any
form that may be preferred. A simple circle, planted as
suggested in the next chapter, will produce a good effect,
and be more easily cared for than beds of the style here
given. Most persons, where the floral ornamentation is,
as in this case, confined to a few eflective masses, prefer
to change not only the manner of planting such beds
each year, but to alter their form occasionally. The
unbroken area of lawn at c is intended for a croquet
ground. At the rear of the house the central walk is
spanned by a grape arbor, g a, if one wishes the vines
to afford shade, or a simple trellis may run on each side.
The borders next the fence on each side and at the rear
(not shown in the plan) may also be used for grapes, or
will be convenient for raspberries, currants, and other
small fruits. The large plots, v f, are for the main
crops of vegetables and fruits. Asparagus, rhubarb, straw-
berries, and such other crops as remain year after year
without being disturbed, should be so placed at the out-
set as to be interfered with as little as possible in the
frequent working of the soil necessary for other crops.
A lot of this size will require the labor of one man, whose
time must be exclusively devoted to the garden, and to
nothing else, to keep it in proper order. Such is the
extent and something near the design of the grounds I
use for such purposes. I generally have selected one of
my most active men to take charge of it, and find he has
plenty to do to do it well. A second design (fig. 7)
shows a lot of the same dimensions, with a different
arrangement. There bemg a stable, s, and no rear en-
trance, it is necessary to provide one from the front ;
30
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
200 Feet Front.
Fig, 7.— DESIGN FOR GROUNDS WITH CARRIAGE -DRIVE.
PLANTIN'G OF LAWNS AND FLOWER BEDS. 31
and ill order to secure a greater breadth of lawn, the
house is placed at one side of the centre of the grounds.
The drive, d, in the design is made to turn around a
group of flower beds of fanciful pattern; but this may be
replaced by a single circle, planted as suggested in the
next chapter, or by a group of ornamental evergreen or
other shrubs. In this design the croquet ground is at c,
and the grape arbor, G a, is used to shut out the view
of the vegetable grounds from the street. A row of
closely planted evergreens at h serves to break the force
of the winds. The suggestions as to the other details in
the preceding plan (fig. 6) apply to this also.
CHAPTER IX.
PLANTING OF LAWNS AND FLOWER BEDS.
The subject of lawn planting, including the proper
setting and grouping of trees and shrubs, and their most
effective disposal, is too extended for the scope of this
book. These matters belong to works upon landscape
gardening, and are ably treated in those by Downing,
Kemp, Weidenmann, Scott, and others. But the plant-
ing of flower beds comes properly within our limits. The
old-fashioned mixed borders four or six feet wide alons:
the walks of the fruit or vegetable garden, were usually
planted with hardy herbaceous plants, the tall growing at
the back, with the lower growing sorts in front. These,
when there was a good collection, gave a bloom of varied
color throughout the entire growing season. But the
more modern style of flower borders has quite displaced
such collections, and they are now but little seen, unless
in very old gardens, or in botanical collections. Then,
32
GARDENIJ^G FOR PLEASURE.
again, we have the mixed borders of bedding plants, a
heterogeneous grouping of a]l kinds of tropical plants,
still holding to tlie plan of either placing the highest at
the back of the border if it has only one walk, or, if a bed
has a walk on each side, the highest in the middle, and
the plants sloping down to the walk on each side. The
mixed system still has its advocates, who deprecate the
modern plan of massing color as being too formal, and
too unnatural a w\ay to dispose of flowers. But be that
as it may, we will not stop to argue the matter further
than to state, that on a visit to England in 1872, and
again in 1885, it was most evident that the '' Carpet
Styles " of massing plants, as done at Battersea Park and
other public gardens in
London, were interesting
to the people in a way that
no mixed border con Id
ever be. Any one who
has not yet seen the won-
derful effects produced by
the massing of plants in
this way, has a treat before
him. Nearly all the pub-
lic parks in and about
London are so planted,
and thousands of cottage
gardens vie with each other in imitation of the parks.
But to plant m patterns or in ribbon lines requires for
immediate effect a large number of plants, for the reason
that they must be so set out that they will meet to form
continuous masses shortly after planting.
An illustration in circles (for convenience) is given in
figure 8, to show what plants can be massed together to
give a pleasing effect. Of course, it will be understood
that a bed of any shape can be planted in this manner as
Y»-ell as circular beds, only keeping in view the icidth of
FiS. 8.— DIAGRAM OF FLOWER BED.
PLANTING OF LAWNS AND FLOWER BEDS.
33
the bed. For example, a bed having a diameter of ten
feet may require eiglit or ten different kinds of plants to
form the necessary contrast, while that of five feet will
not require more than half that number. The following
named plants are well suited for planting in masses or
ribbon lines. They are named as nearly as possible in the
order of their hight, number one in each case being the
tallest. Many will require to be ^^ pinched back " to keep
them at the proper hight, so that the outline will form
a regular slope from the center, or highest point, down
to the front or lowest point. Thus, in list No. 1, Canna
Fi^. 9. —SECTION OF FLOWER BED.
Indica zebrina will grow six feet high, while Lobelia
Paxtoni, the lowest, is less than six inches. The section
given in figure 9 will give an idea of the arrangement of
a bed of this kind.
TiTST Xn 1 Average hight
ijiox i.\\j. X. in feet.
1 . Canna Indica zebrina, leaves trreen and brown striped .6
2. Salvia splendens, flowers scarlet.. 5
3. Golden Coleus, leaves orange and brown 4
4. Achyranthes Lindeni, leaves rich crimson 3
5. Phalaris arundinacea var. , leaves white and green .2i
6. Achyranthes Gilsoni, leaves carmine ...2
7. Bronze Geranium, leaves golden bronze. .li
8. Centaurca Candida, leaves white ...1
9. Alternanthera paronychioides major, leaves crimson and^yellow %
10. Lobelia Paxtoni. flowers blue i
34 GAKDENIKG FOR PLEASURE.
List Xo. 2. Average hlght
injeet.
1. Caladium esculentum, leaves large green .-. 5
2. Japanese Maize, leaves striped white and yellow. 5
3. Coleus Verschaffeltii, leaves chocolate crimson. A
4. Delphinium bicolor, flowers blue and white 3
5. Cypenis altemifolius var., leaves white and green 2i
6. Achyranthes Verschaffeltii, leaves crimson 2
7. Mountain of Snow Geranium, leaves white and gi-een \k
8. Tropfeolum Ball of Fire, flowers flame color .__1
9. Echeveria metallica, leaves gi'ay, metallic lustre I
10. Altemanthera paroBychioides aurea, carmine i
It will be understood that these lists of plants can be
transposed in any way necessary to suit beds of all widths,
keeping in view, that where small beds are placed near
w^alks the lower growing kinds are most sniiable, while
for beds at greater distances from walks, or other points
of view, the taller growing kinds must be used. Very
fine effects are produced by planting on a lawn a single
specimen of stately habit, such as some varieties of the
Ricinus, or Castor Oil Bean, which grow ten and twelve
feet in hight in one season, and are particularly striking
plants. Or, instead of this, a mass of six, eight, or twelve
plants of Scarlet Sage will form a group six feet high by
as many in diameter, and its dazzling scarlet color, con-
trasting against the green of the lawn, is superb. Many
of the Amaranths are also well suited for planting in sin-
gle groups. Amarantiis tricolor gigantea (Joseph's Coat)
grows to the hight of six feet, and its leaves, in the late
summer and fall months, exceed in brilliancy of color any-
thing we know of in foliage ; scarlet, crimson, and golden
3^ellow predominating. Another, the Amaraiitus ticolor
ruber, grows to the hight of five feet, and is plumed with
scarlet crimson. In contrast to these, plants of a more
somber tint may be used, in individual specimens or in a
group of such as Pampas Grass {Gynerium argenteiim),
or the Ravenna Grrass {Eriantlius Ravennce), Each of
these attain a hight from six to ten feet, and have a
PLANTING OF LAWNS AND FLOWER BEDS. 35
graceful appearance. The Japan Ribbon Grass {Eulalia
Japonica variegaia) and the Zebra Grass {EiilaliaJapoiiica
zehriiia) each grows to a hight of seven to nine feet, are
j)erfectly hardy, and are grand plants for grouping or
planting singly on the lawn. Besides being ornamental
in foliage, their flower spikes, which, when developed,
somewhat resemble ostrich plumes, add much to their
beauty. These flower spikes are easily dried, and can be
kept for years, making unique parlor ornaments. The
Tanyah {Caladium esctilentum) is a tropical looking plant
growing three or four feet in hight, and producing leaves
sometimes eighteen inches across.
THE CARPET STYLE OF FLOWER-BED PLANTING
is now done largely in nearly all the public parks of
the large cities in Europe, also with us, particularly in
Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, and Alleghany City. But
in the great Central Park of New York and the Prospect
Park of Brooklyn, all such ornamentation is mostly con-
spicuous by its absence, or is in quantity so meagre and
in style so wretched as would disgrace a village of 5,000
inhabitants. But if we of New York suffer by the incom-
petency or want of taste in the management of our public
parks, we have certainly reason to be proud of the efforts
of some private gentlemen here. The private grounds
of William B. Dinsmore of Staatsburg, N. Y. , and John
Hoey of Long Branch, N. J., have been noted for years
for their grand display of carpet bedding — unequalcd,
perhaps, by anything else in the world. Mr. Hoey's,
from its proximity to the famous summer resort of Long
Branch, is vi>ited daily by thousands, the private grounds
of the munificent owner being thrown open as a public
park. In the season of 1886, four beds in the grounds
of Mr. Hoey were said to contain a million and a half of
plants, arranged so artistically that at a distance they
36 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
might easily be mistaken for carpets laid out to air on
the green lawn. In fact, a story is told of a thrifty
old Jersey farmer and his wife, who had never seen
these living carpets before, and who, happening to be
driving in the grounds one day when a shower came
up, drove up to Mr. Hoey's residence and told the ser-
vants to get in the carpets, as they were getting ruined
by the rain ! The example set by Mr. Hoey in clothing
his grounds in this gorgeous coloring, where it is seen by
tens of thousands annually, has had more to do with ex-
tending the taste for the lawn decoration of flower beds
than perhaps all other sources combined. The car-
pet style, so called, consists in using plants that can be
kept down to a few inches above the level of the lawn.
A great variety of succulent plants are used, such as
Echeverias, Sedums, Mesembryanthemums, etc., together
with numerous low-growing Alpine plants, such as
Ajugas, Cerastiums, Lysimachias, Lobelias, Ivies, Alter-
nantheras, etc., etc. This style of bedding requires an im-
mense number of plants. One bed in the carpet style at
Battersea Park, London, containing less than 1,000 square
feet, required 4,000 plants to produce the desired effect
in the design, and not a leaf of these was more than six
inches above the lawn. Planting in this style admits of
unlimited variety in the form of the beds and contrasts
of colors. So great is the care exercised abroad in arrang-
ing the designs that colored papers, giving the exact tints
of the leading flowers and colored foliage, are supplied
by the dealers, in order that colored designs maybe made
and studied before putting them into execution ; for a
single misplaced color may sjDoil the effect of the whole.
In works of this kind the parts of the design should be
separated by well-defined portions of turf, as the color of
each member of it is brought out more clearly and dis-
tmctly, and the whole has a much better effect if a liberal
amount of green is introduced. Figure 10 is introduced
PLANTIiSTG OF LAWifS AND FLOWER BEDS. 37
Fig. 10.— CAKPET BED AS PLANTED.
1. Alternantheraparonychioidesma- 1 3. Echeveria Californica, Deep
joror Rainbow Plant, Crimson | Sea Green
shaded. 4. Alteinanthera versicolor, Car-
2. Alternantheraaurea nana, Golden mine and Rose
Yellow. 5. Echeveria secunda, Pale Bluish
Green.
: i:
•
*
' N,
/
V> ->-...---
\
2
/"
; / ;
/
--.-'-.'
/
I
*
4
^1
u-i
Fig. 11.— DESIGN FOR FLOWER BED.
1. Crimson Coleus. 2. Golden Coleue.
38 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
to give an idea of some of the simpler designs, as they
appear when planted to produce the best effect. The
planting of ^' Carpet Beds," when succulent plants are
used, is costly from the necessity of setting them so
! ^ ^
I «
\
\ \ J
V -IK >
^ ,•♦•
Fig. 12.— DESIGN FOR FLOWER BED,
1. Coleus Verschaffeltii, Crimson. 2. Geranium General Grant, or
other Scarlet. '6. Geranium Queen Olga, Pink.
close that the whole ground has to be covered, as the
growth of these is comparatively slow.
PLANTING IN RIBBON LINES, AND MASSING IN COLORS,
are in more general use than Carpet Bedding, not only
for being much cheaper — the plants used being less
costly — but, as they are of more vigorous growth, they can
PLAJsTIXCr OF LAWIfS AJfD FLOWER BEDS. 39
.^
,-• ^'\
1 •• -^ *
*•*•:!*'•
1 1
» V
^ ♦
*'
. I'^v ' » *"■»< •
r' \ — '.-. '-'-'"' .; \
* ^ ' "^ "». ' -
,'-"->-' / * V'-' "^^
"'-,-'
I •
V
Fig. 13.— DESIGN FOE FLOWER BED.
I. Altemanthera paronychioides major (Rainbow Plant). 3, Alter-
nanthera aurea nana. 3. Dwai-f Scarlet Tropaeolum. 4. Blue Lobelia.
40
GARDENING FOR FLEASFKE*
^1/ :
'7'^-'
i
; ^
\ t 'v :
/ 2 ^/"
» I " - . * —
t ^
W
^ //-
Fig. 14. — DESIGN FOR FLOWER BED.
1. Coleus Golden Bedder.
2. Geranium General Grant, or
other Scarlet,
3. Coleus Versehaffeltii, CrimsoD.
4. Draesena indivisa.
PLANTING OF LAWNS AND FLOWER BEDS.
41
be set much farther apart, usually from nine to twelve
inches each way. All such planting must necessarily be
largely a matter of taste, although, of course, sharply con-
trasting colors make the most striking effects. As a rule,
it is best to have comparatively few colors, and this will
<3v
v;:
/A
¥
\ •
\ »
6 ^;
y I
>'
...^.-
k
^
■■.-.T,S>
•J^'>
H-
'\'sr:
f
■'-3
/ .'-'.
Fig. 15. — DESIGN FOR FLOWER BED.
1. Grass.
2. Blue Lobelia.
3. Dwarf Scarlet Tropaeolum.
'^>
4. Grass.
5. Alternanthera paronychioides
(Rainbow Plant), Crimson.
6, Alternanthera aurea nana, Yellow.
account for our recommending comparatively few varie-
ties of plants for the designs here given as examples.
One important point in all planting of this kind is to
trim the plants so that they shall form clear defined
lines ; that is, if they, in growing, overlap one another,
they must be pinched back so that each color shows
4^
GAEDEXI2?^G FOR PLEASURE.
\Z N
..-' '"'3
^
» /
.-'3
:. 4 ^ ' 2-:
Fig. 16. — DESIGN FOB FLOWEB BED
/ :
1, Blue Lobelia.
2. Altemanthera aurea nana, Yel-
low.
3. Achyranthes Lindeiiii, Deep
Orimson.
4, Geranium Mountain of Snow,
White.
5. Anthemis coronaiia, Double
Yellow Marguerite.
6. Pink Geranium.
7. Dracaena indivisa, or Fountain
Plant.
8. Geranium General Grant, Scar-
let,
PLANTING OF LAWNS AND FLOWER BEDS.
43
clearly and distinctly where they meet, also that the top
growth be so pinched back that the bed presents a smooth
and even surface.
*' Ribbon lines," so called, are where two or more lines
\ \
b ;
\ \ \,,5 ---'^'-'-r,j.y / — \ "*-- "z. - ••■ / .
wv.
Fig. 17.— FANCY BEDDING AT LINCOLN PARK, CHICAGO.
1. Vase.
2. Coleus Bacon.
3. Coleus South Park Gem.
4. Achyrantlies metallica.
5. Coleus Mary Stewart.
6. Geranium Wonderful.
7. Geranium Madame Thebaud.
8. Geranium Mountain of Snow.
9. Gnaphalium lanatuni.
10. Coleus VerschalTeltii.
of color are planted along margins of drives or walks.
''Massing in colors" is shown in the designs here
given, figures 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. These
illustrations were designed by George A. Solly & Son,
Springfield, Mass.
44 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
CHAPTER X.
FALL OR HOLLAND BULBS, ETC.
These bulbs are mainly such as are imported from
Holland in the fall, and consist of Hyacinths, Tulips,
Crocuses, Jonquils, Narcissuses, Snow-drops, Lilies, and
various other less known kinds. With few exceptions,
all these bulbs are hardy in our most northern states,
though all are benefited by a covering of two or three
inches of rough litter or leaves spread over the beds be-
fore freezing: weather. The soil best suited for all bulbs
is a rich, but rather sandy loam. All these bulbs may be
planted at any time from the middle of September until
the ground is closed by frost in December. Hyacinths
shou*ld be planted at distances of six or eight inches apart
each way, and from three to four inches deep. Tulips,
the same distance apart, but a little less deep. Crocuses
three inches apart- and two inches deep. Jonquils and
Narcissuses may be planted four inches apart and four
inches deep. Snow-drops the same as Crocuses.
Very fine effects are produced by planting Hyacinths in
lines each of one color, but when mixed colors are placed
in the lines, care must be taken to have them arranged
so that the bed will give a harmonious blending of color.
Crocuses have nearly the same range of color as the
Hyacinth, and may be planted either Avay.
All these bulbs are easily grown in pots. The Hya-
cinth requires a pot six inches in depth and diameter. In
potting it is only necessary to fill the pot rather loosely
to the brim, and press the bulb down, so that only about
one-fourth of it appears above the soil. The pot should
then be struck smartly on the bench to give tlie soil the
proper degree of firmness, leaving it, w^hen finished,
about an inch or so below the rim of the pot. Then
FALL OR HOLLAND BULBS, ETC. 45
water freely to still further settle the soil. When pots
are not convenient, boxes four inches deep, setting the
bulbs six inches apart, will do quite as well. The pots
or boxes should then be placed where it is cool and dark,
which will encourage a strong development of roots
before the bulb starts to grow at the top. Such a situation
can be made by covering up the pots or boxes with four
or five inches of sand or leaves in a cool cellar, under the
stage of a cool greenhouse, or in a sunken pit, or in -some
sheltered spot in the open air, in each case covering with
sand or leaves, so as to exclude heat and frost ; for it
must not be forgotten that a strong development of root
can only be had at a low temperature, say from forty to
fifty degrees, and any attempt to force bulbs to make
roots quicker by 2)lacing them in a high temperature,
will most certainly enfeeble the flower. If we only
observe how nature points out to us this necessity, we
will see how safe it will be to follow her. In all hardy
plauts, the roots in spring (when the temperature is
low) begin to form the rootlets before a leaf or flower is
developed. To show the bad effects when this is not the
case, take a root of any of our hardy Lilies and plant it in
March, and take a similar bulb and plant it in May; it
will be found that the early planted bulb, that had an
opportunity to slowly develop its roots before there was
heat enough to start the top, will give a finer growth and
finer flower than the bulb that was planted in May, and
ran up into growth before it had an oi)portunity to suf-
ficiently push its roots into the soil. The culture of all
the bulbs before named, in pots, is the same as that of
the Il3'acinth, only the Narcissuses and Tulips should be
planted three or four in a six or seven-inch pot, and Cro-
cuses ten or twelve in a pot. All these bulbs may like-
wise be grown in moss, or even pure sand, provided that
it is kept damp ; the necessity being a medium wherein
the roots can revel in moisture. But whether potted in
46
GARDEI^ING FOR PLEASURE.
'^'iiii ijlii
FALL OR HOLLA I^^D BULBS, ETC. 47
soil, sand, or moss, there will be no need to further water
in this semi-dormant state (if they have been well watered
at the time of potting), provided the pots have been cov-
ered up as directed, and kept cool and dark. If potted
say the first week in October, they may be removed from
their dark quarters in seven or eight weeks, only, before
doing so, turn a few of them out of the pots to see
whether they have rooted around the ball of earth. They
may then be placed in full light and watered freely.
Holland Bulbs are also very effective in groups planted
in the open border. The accompanying illustration, fig. 18,
shows a group of about thirty bulbs, consisting of Hy-
acinths, Tulips, Narcissuses, and Crocuses, arranged so
as to give the greatest contrast in colors.
HYACIXTHS IN GLASSES.
Although Jonquils and Narcissuses can be grown in
water in glasses as well as the Hyacinth, they are not
often so treated. Hyacinths being the only bulbs largely
flowered in that way. The glasses for growing the lat-
ter bulbs in water, are made in various styles, from the
plain old-fashioned Belgian to the ornamental Bohemian,
and are either plain glass or colored green, amber, claret,
and other shades. The glasses, which are best of a dark
color, are filled with water just high enough for the base
of the bulb to touch it. The glasses must be placed in a
cool and dark place. Care must be taken that the water
does not freeze, else the glasses will be broken, and the
Hyacinths more or less injured. Single Hyacinths are
better than double ones for glasses. The water should
be changed every six or eight days.
THE BERMUDA EASTER LILY (LUUim HarHd).
This is a grand variety of the well-known Lilinm
longiflorum, or Trumpet Lily. It was introduced seven
48 GARDEXING FOR PLEASURE.
vears ago from Bermuda, where it was found under culti-
vation. It differs from the old variety in being much
larger in size ; but its most valuable quality is, that it
can be grown to flower in the greatest profusion from the
Christmas Holidays throughout all the winter months
until spring, according to the time it is planted and the
temperature at which it is kept. Tens of thousands of
it are now grown for church decoration at Easter ; hence
the name. The manner of cultivation is very simple, and
need never fail in the hands of even the most inexperi-
enced amateurs. The bulbs should be planted in what
are called five-inch pots, that is, five inches deep and five
inches wide at rim. The soil should be rich, at least
one-third old, well-rotted manure. The pot should be
rather loosely filled with this soil, and the bulb pressed
down deep enough to cover the bulb merely. This may
be done any time from the middle of August until De-
cember. Those potted in August will be in fiow^er by the
Christmas Holidays ; those in October, November, and
December correspondingly later.
After potting, one of the most important things to
observe is the proper placing of the pots containing the
bulbs. Like all other bulbs, to get the best results in
flowering, the pots must be filled with roots before the
tops start to grow ; and, to do this, they must be placed
in some cool place and excluded from the light. Those
potted in August, September, or October can be placed
outside, in the open air, and covered completely up with
leaves or litter to the depth of four or five inches, until,
on examination, the roots are found to be formed around
the ball of earth. They should then be placed in the
greenhouse or sitting-room, and if kept in a temperature
of from sixty to seventy degrees, will come into bloom
throughout January and February. Those potted later
— say in November or December — should be placed in a
cool cellar or cold frame, and covered up in the same
FALL OE nOLLAis^D BULBS, ETC
49
Fig. ID.— POT CULTUEE OF THE BEEMUDA EASTEJi LULJ.
50 GAKDEISING FOR PLEASURE.
way as recommended for those placed out of doors, until
they also form roots, when, if placed in the light, in green-
Tiiouse or sitting-room, they will flower from February to
April, if kept in a temperature of sixty or seventy degrees.
Each bulb will give from three to twenty flowers, accord-
ino" to size, and not one in a hundred will fail if these
simple directions are followed. The flowers are four or
five inches in length, and frequently much longer, of the
purest white, and of the most delicious fragrance.
The Bermuda Lily is entirely hardy, when planted in
the open ground, south of AVashington, and will stand
our winters in nearly all parts of the A^orthern and West-
ern States, if covered up with four or five inches of
dry leaves or litter, on the approach of cold weather in
December.
Lilium candidum was formerly known also as the
Easter Lily, but the Bermuda Lily {L. Harrisi) has so
superseded its use for Easter decoration, that it is hardly
now known as such. It is entirely distinct from the
other, and grows from two to three feet in hight, pro-
ducing from six to ten flow^ers in a whorl at the top. Its
culture, both for forcing and growing in the open ground,
is almost identical with the Bermuda Lily, and it is well
worthy of cultivation.
LILY OF THE VALLEY ( Convallavia majalis)
is one of the most chaste and beautiful of all flowers.
When planted in the open ground, where it is entirely
hardy, its flowers are one of the first harbingers of spring.
It is forced in immense quantities for winter flowers.
The treatment is almost identical with that for Hyacinths
and Lilies, only, whether the *' pips" — the single *' eyes" —
or clumps containing a dozen or more ''eyes" are used,
they should be packed closely together m shallow boxes,
and placed out of doors or other cool place for eight to
nine weeks before being brought in to force for flowers
FALL OR nOLLAND BULBS, ETC.
51
in winter; but, unlike bulbs, the Lily of the Valley
does not make any root growth while outside. The
object of placing it outside at all is to giye it a period
of ^'rest," which is absolutely necessary before it can be
forced into flower. Lily of the Valley roots are not usually
Fig. 20. — LILT OF THE VALLEY.
to be had before the first of November ; and if placed in
boxes then and set outside, they should not be brought
in to force until the end of December. If then put in a
temperature of from seventy to eighty degrees, they will
come into bloom in from ten to fifteen days. It is best
to bring in a few at a time, so that they can be had in
bloom throughout the winter ; or, if wanted at any partic-
52
GARDENll^G FOR PLEASURE.
nlar time after New Year, they can safely be relied on to
flower in ten or fifteen days after being placed in a heat
averaging eighty degrees. It is a good plan to cover the
boxes slightly over with moss, so as to keep as moist an
atmosphere as possible around the crowns while forcing
them into flower.
There is one rather discouraging feature to amateurs
Fig. 21.— LILT OF THE VALLEY " PIP "—GOOD.
in forcing Lily of the Valley, and also with most bulbs,
in the fact that, after being thus artificially treated, the
crowns are of no further use, to force at least. They may
be planted out in the open ground in spring after forcing,
and will recuperate to some extent in a year or two, but
the same crowns once forced will hardly ever do again for
that purpose. An exception among bulbs is the Bermuda
Lily, which seems to be in no way injured by being forced.
The crown, or *^pip," as florists sometimes call it, of the
FALL OK HOLLAND BULBS, ETC. 53
Lily of the Valley, when sufficiently developed to flower,
should be of the size and shape shown in figure 21.
THE TUBEROSE {PoUanihes tiiierosa),
when grown outdoors, should never be planted until the
ground is warm. A good test (which our country readers
can usually always avail themselves of) is never to plant
the Tuberose until the corn crop is up two or three
inches high, which, in the latitude of New York, is
always about the first week in June. Dry bulbs or tubers
then planted will usually flower in October. If wanted
earlier, the dry bulbs should be started in moss or soil,
in small pots or boxes, in a greenhouse or warm room,
where there is plenty of light, about the first of May.
Thus forwarded, if planted out by the first week in June,
they will come into flower two or three weeks earlier.
Forcing the T tiler ose — so as to have flowers during
the winter months from January to April — cannot be done
unless there are appliances of heat in the greenhouse
that will keep up an average of eighty degrees, and that,
too, with a moist atmosphere, as this bulb is of a nature
that requires at all times a high temperature for its
growth. It is, however, comparatively easy to have it
produce flowers during November and December in the
greenhouse by retarding the bulbs in some cool place until
August. Planted then they make growth enough in the
warm months of the fall to give them sufficient start to
throw up the flower stems by the end of October. The
greenhouse then, however, must be kei)t warm (say sixty-
five at night with fifteen degrees higher in the daytime) for
the proper development of the flowers during November
and December. They should be set six or eight inches
apart. The Pearl is the best for forcing, while the tall
double is best for outdoor blooming. A new" single variety
of Tuberose, ^* The Albino," originated in St. Louis, Mo.,
54 GARDEXIXG TOR PLEASURE.
in 1887. It has the peculiarity of throwing up from t\TO
to four shoots from each bulb, and occasionally two to
three branches on each stalk. The flow^ers are of the
purest white, star shaped, being more reflexed than the
old sort. It is altogether a valuable variety, and is cer-
tain to be largely used for cut flowers. It is not yet
offered for sale.
THE LILY (Lilmm).
I have already alluded to varieties of the Lily that are
used for forcing in Avinter, which at present is confined
to the white varieties, L. candidiim, L. longiflorum, and
L. Harrisi. The hardy garden Lilies, which embrace a
great range of color, are of the easiest cultivation, and,
from the regal beauty of most of the species, are perhaps
the most desirable of all our hardy perennial plants.
They will flourish in almost any soil^ though, like all
other plants, a deep, rich, sanely loam is the best. Lily
bulbs can be set out either in fall or spring. When planted
in fall thev should be covered with three or four inches
of leaves or other litter ; for, although perfectly hardy,
withstan diner the severest winter, all new plantations
of any kind of plant are helped by a protection the first
winter after planting. In spring planting they should
be set out just as early as the ground is dry enough to
work. The bulbs may be set, according to size, from
three to four inches deep, and, if beds are to be formed of
them, from nine to twelve inches apart. Although they
will not bloom in complete shade, yet a position of partial
shade is congenial to them ; and they will do equally
well in open sunshine. The finest species are from
Japan, though we have some very beautiful native kinds.
The following list comprises the best known kinds : L.
aurat'um, or Golden Banded ; L. speciosum and its va-
rieties ; L. Krameri, L. Leichtlinii, L. tigrinum flora
plena, L. Tliunhergiannm in variety, L. longifloriim.
FALL OK HOLLAND BULBS, ETC. 55
L, candidum, the oldest known species, comes from the
Levant. Asia furnishes L. Clialcedonicum ; Siberia the
beautiful little L. tenuifolium, which is there grown as
an article of food. The United States contributes L,
suyerhum, L. Canadense, L. Pliiladelpliicum, L. Cates-
hcei, L. Carolinianum, and L. Columhianum, together
with L. Washingto7iianum, L. Humholdtii, L. parvum,
L. Californiaim, L. pardalinum, L. Roezlii, L, Parry i,
and L. Walkeri, from California. It may be added here
that the California Lilies often remain in the ground a
whole year before starting to grow.
THE CALLA,
or Lily of the Nile, is now known to botanists as Ricliardia
^tliiopica. It is largely grown for winter flowers, and is
of the easiest culture, the only attention being an abund-
ance of moisture, and an average temperature of seventy
degrees, whether grown in tlie greenhouse or sitting-
room. Although it will grow and flower during the
entire season without resting if sufficiently fed by being
re-potted, yet it is more profitable to dry it partly off,
say from June 1st to September 1st. This is best done
by placing the pots on their sides outdoors, so as to pre-
vent the rains from wetting the soil, and covering them
slightly with hay or moss, so as to keep the sun from
drying the roots too much ; or, if a position of partial
shade can be had, there will be no need of covering the
pots. The roots thus rested will flower more abundantly
and produce fewer leaves, and thus twice the number of
flowers may be obtained from the same space. The bulbs
are now being grown largely in California, where they are
dried like Tuberoses and purchased by florists in the East-
ern States. Thus dried, far more flowers are produced
than when the bulb is kept growing.
It is not well to give the Calla too much pot room, else
56 GAKDENIXG rOK PLEASURE.
too much foliage is produced. We have found the best
method to be not to use too large pots, and to use liquid
manure freely, made from one bushel of cow dung to
twenty-five or thirty gallons of water, or one pound of
guano to ten gallons of water. When an excess of leaves
occurs, cut them off freely, withholding water somewhat
for a w^eek or so after cutting the leaves off. By this
method the plants can be grown closely together, and a
larger crop of flowers obtained from the same space.
The Calla is one of the best of winter-flowering plants
for room culture, needing little care be3'ond abundant
water, and an occasional syringing or washing of the
leaves to keep them free from dust and red spider. It
is also a good plant for a large aquarium. The Divarf
Calla, a sport from the original species, is identical in
all respects except that its flowers and leaves are about
half the size of the original. E. alba-maciilata, a species
v/ith beautifully variegated or spotted foliage, makes a
showy plant. The flowers are smaller than the Calla, and
white, with purple throat. It comes into flower in May
and June, making it valuable for a succession. It is also
desirable in a collection of plants with variegated foliage.
Another species, R. hastata, is somewhat similar to R.
alhct-maculata, except that the flowers are a deep yellow
with a purple throat. There is still another kind of
"Calla," sometimes called the '^ Black Calla," from the
very dark crimson of its velvet-like flowers. It is really,
however, a plant of another genus, known as Arum
Palcstinum. It is quite a scarce plant as yet, but will
be a great acquisition from its unique and novel color.
Unlike most species of the genus Arum, the flowers of
this are of a pleasing fragrance. The species are all
propagated by offsets, which should be taken off when
the plant is at rest, and grown on in small pots for one
season.
FALL OK HOLLAND BULBS, ETC. 57
GLADIOLUS.
There is perhaps no bulb that is so satisfactory or so
easily cultivated as the Gladiolus; no other bulb embraces
such a variation of color, comprising nearly every shade
except blue. With the simplest culture there is an abso-
lute certainty that they will flower, provided they are
planted in fairly good soil and where they will not be
shaded.
Time to Plant. — During the winter, Gladiolus bulbs,
whether large or small, should be kept in a dry, cool
cellar. As the bulb is nearly hardy, plantings may be
made as soon as the ground is fit to work in spring ;
and even should the ground be slightly frozen after,
they will sustain no injury.
Bulbs set out during April will be usually at their best
flowering in August, but '* succession i)lantings" may be
made every ten days until the middle of July, which will
give a succession of bloom the entire season. It is a
common practice, with the New York florists, to reserve
Gladiolus bulbs until August, which are then planted in
boxes four or five inches deep, in rich soil. The boxes
are kept out-doors until frosty when they are placed in a
cool greenhouse, where they flower in November, at a
time when everything is done outside.
Whether planted in the open ground or in boxes for
forcing, they should be set at from six to seven inches
apart, and about two to three inches deep, that is, so that
the top of the bulb will be covered an inch or an inch
and a half.
Gladiolus are admirably suited for cut-flower work, as
they will keep for eight or ten days, and the unexpanded
buds, if showing color, will develop fully when the stem
is cut and placed in water. In addition to the fine hy-
brid varieties long in cultivation, M. Lemoine, of France,
in 1884 succeeded in producing a new class, entirely
oS
GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
novel and of wonderful beauty. Each petal is spotted with
crimson, carmine, scarlet, or rose, somewhat resembling
the finest kinds of the Fancy Pelargoniums or Orchids.
THE AMARYLLIS {Amaryllis).
All the kinds are eminently ornamental and easy of
culture, the great secret being to give them alternately
Fig. 23.— AMARYLLIS. (Vittata Type.)
a season of excitement and a season of repose. To do
this effectually, the plants should be abundantly sup-
plied with water and heat, and placed near the glass
when they are coming into flower, and water should be
withheld from them by degrees when they are done flow-
ering, till they have entirely ceased growing, when they
should be kept quite dry and in a state of rest. When
in this state they may be placed in any obscure part of a
greenhouse or in a cellar where it is dry, and of a tem-
perature not under forty degrees. If kept in such a
FALL OR HOLLAND BULBS, ETC. 59
situation during winter, some kinds may be turned out
into a warm border in spring, where they will flower ;
and if the season be fine, they will ripen their bulbs in
time to be taken up before the approach of frost.
The chief value of these plants, however, is to produce
flowers in the winter season, which they readily do if
they are kept dry and dormant during the latter part of
the summer and autumn. Indeed, by having a large
stock of these bulbs, a regular succession of flowers may
be obtained during the year. AVhen the dormant bulbs
are wanted to be thrown into flower, they should be fresh
potted in sandy loam and leaf mold, and put in a hot-
house, hot-bed, or warm sitting-room, at any date from
October to January, when the dry bulbs can be had.
They should be kept rather dry, and covered up with
leaves until the pot is well filled with roots, just as is
done in forcing Hyacinths or Lilies, except, in the case
of Amaryllis, the temperature requires to be kept ten
degrees higher, the heat beginning at fifty degrees, and
ascending to sixty or seventy degrees ; and when the
leaves or the flowers appear, the plants should be abund-
antly supplied with water. Our long and warm summers
enable us to cultivate many of these beautiful bulbs in
the open air, by merely protecting the roots in winter in
some dry, warm cellar, as we do Dahlias or Potatoes.
THE CYCLAMEN".
Many amateur florists have an ambition to grow this
beautiful bulb, and it is often done well even in an ordi-
nary sitting-room, though, as it requires a season of rest,
it is often injured by this not being given properly or at
the right time. Cyclamen bulbs, in the dry state, can be
procured usually from seedsmen in September or October.
When received they should be potted in five, six, or seven
inch pots, according to the size of the bulb. The pots
should be well drained and filled loosely with rich, soft
60
GARDEi^ING FOR PLEASURE.
soil, sucli as is composed of one-third leaf mold being
best. Press the bulb into the earth so that its top is
level with the surface. Give it a good watering, and then
place it in some dark closet or cellar for three or four
weeks, when it may be brought into the light. The
bulbs can often be bought already started from the flor-
Fig-. 23.— CYCLAMEN.
ists, when they may be placed among a general assort-
ment of plants that are kept at fifty degrees at night with
ten to fifteen higher in the daytime. The Cyclamen
flowers usually from January to April. When done flower-
ing the plants should be dried oft by laying the pots
on their sides, as recommended for Callas, say from May
to September, and then started again in the w^ay advised
above.
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY SEEDS. 61
CHAPTER XI.
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY SEEDS.
Nature provides abundantly for the reproduction of
plants, and the difficulty of multiplying by one method
is compensated by the ease with which it may be done by
another. Whenever we find a plant that takes root with
difficulty from " slips" or cuttings, in nine cases out of
ten we find that it seeds freely, and gives us a ready
means of increase. Thus we find that the much-admired
Centaureas, one kind of the '* Dusty Millers" (the white-
leaved plants now so much used in massing and for
baskets) are exceedingly difficult and slow to root from
cuttings, but are readily raised from seeds. Our fine
strains of blotched Petunias are also troublesome as cut-
tings, but make plants quickly from seeds. The Cycla-
men, with its turnip-like stem or bulb, could only be
propagated by cutting it in pieces, disfiguring its shape,
and requiring years to form a circular bulb again ; but
here we have seed coming to our help, which germinate
freely, and make flowering plants in one year. The
Apple Geranium never affords proper cuttings from
which to make a plant, but it seeds freely, from which
splendid plants can be produced in a few months. So
the Primulas and Cinerarias, both slow and uncertain
from cuttings, seed freely. Echeveria metallica, one of
the beautiful plants of the Houseleek family, produces
no bud from the base of the leaf, as nearly all the other
species do; but, to make up, it seeds abundantly, and so
with hundreds of other plants to which our space will
not permit us to refer. There is no rule by which we
can designate what plants are best propagated by seeds,
and what by cuttings, experience being the only teacher,
and even the experience of a lifetime is too short for
62 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
those of US that have had the largest practice. The de-
scriptive catalogues issued by seedsmen and florists are
now excellent practical guides in this matter, as the
seeds of all plants best propagated from seeds are offered
in the seed department of the catalogues, while those that
are usually propagated by cuttings are offered in the plant
catalogues.
Seedling plants can be nearly as well raised in the win-
dow of a sittmg-room or parlor, provided the tempera-
ture is right, as in a greenhouse, for seeds do not need a
strong direct light while germinating ; in fact, that is
often a difficulty in a greenhouse, as the surface of the
seed-bed dries up too quickly in the direct sunshine, ne-
cessitating watering, which bakes the surface. The best
thing wherein to sow seeds is a shallow box, which need
not be more than two inches deep, with open seams at
the bottom through which water will drain quickly. Fill
the box within lialf an inch of the top with liglit rich
earth. If it can be procured, nothing is better than black
leaf mold from the woods, or light sandy soil mixed with
an equal bulk of stable manure, so rotted as to resemble
leaf mold ; but it will not answer unless rotted as fine as
dust. In the absence of either of these, sweepings from
a paved street are excellent, mixed with light sandy soil,
the object in all cases being lightness of the soil or mold
in which the seed is to be sown ; for if tiny seeds, as
many of our flower seeds are, are embedded in a stiff soil,
the germ in many of them is too weak to push its way to
the light. When the proper soil has been secured, pat it
down with a smooth board until it is as smooth and level
as it well can be; then sow the seed carefully over the sur-
face, distributing it evenly, and with a common kitchen
sieve sift just so much earth evenly over the seed as
will cover it and no more, pressing it down again with the
smooth board ; next take a watering pot with the finest
kind of a rose, and shower the earth with the spray.
PROPAGATION OF PLAi^TS BY SEEDS. 63
Keep the box at a temperature as near sixty degrees as
possible at night, with ten degrees higher in the daytime,
taking care to give it a shower of spray only when the
surface appears to be dry. But few seeds will fail to
germinate under such conditions. This temperature will
suffice for the germination of seeds of nearly all annuals
and general assortment of greenhouse plants, which may
be sown in greenhouse, hot-bed, or sitting-room, from
January until March; by that time, as the season gets
warmer, seeds of tropical plants, such as Coleus, Egg
Plant, etc., may be sown. But after the seeds have
**' brairded," as the Scotch gardeners say, comes another
difficulty. In quite a number of plants, particularly if
sown in the house, just as soon as the seed leaf has de-
velopsd, and before the first rough or true leaves have
formed, the seedling is attacked by a minute fungus,
that will often sweep off the whole crop in forty-eight
hours if not attended to. The required attention is, that
as soon as there are indications of t?ie '^ dam})ing off" of
these tiny seedlings, they must be carefully taken up and
planted out in similar boxes, prepared exactly as the
seed-boxes have been. They may be planted quite closely,
not more than half an inch apart, and let their further
treatment be exactly the same as in germinating the seeds.
In the course of a few weeks they will have grown freely,
and they may then be lifted and j^laced in simihir boxes,
but wider apart, say three or four inches, or potted singly
in two and a half or three-inch pots, as most convenient,
until such time as they are to be planted out in the
open ground, or used otherwise. In this way as great
a number of plants may be raised from a twenty-five
or fifty cent packet of seed as would cost $25 or .$50
to purchase in plants, besides the far greater satisfaction
of their being the product of your own hands.
64 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
CHAPTER XII.
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY CUTTINGS.
There is no more interesting operation to the amateur
gardener than that of increasing his stock of plants by
cuttings or slips. Heretofore it was accounted a great
mystery, and unless with some of the commonest kinds
of Geraniums, few amateurs ever presumed to invade the
territory of the professional gardener. Nearly all writers
on the subject had so befogged this simple matter with
technical nonsense, that few, not regularly brought up to
the business, presumed to attempt it. We now consider
it one of our simplest operations; far simpler than raising
many kinds of plants from seed. Though we raise over
two millions of plants annually, and kee^) a professional
propagator with three assistants doing nothing else the en-
tire year but propagating plants from slips, yet we could
take any careful, intelligent man from iimong our garden
laborers, and install him as a competent propagator in a
year, and for many of the commoner things in half that
time. Where plants are propagated from cuttings in
large numbers, we elevate a bench, usually four feet wide,
above the flue or hot- water or steam pipes, to within a foot
or so of the glass at the front, and on this table or bench
we place three or four inches of sand, of any color or tex-
ture, provided it is not from the sea-shore (which contains
salt). This bench is boarded down in front, so as to con-
fine the heat from the flue or pipes under it, and give
what is called ''bottom heat." The sand on a bench so
formed will indicate a temperature of perhaps seventy
degrees, while the atmosphere of the greenhouse, partic-
ularly during the night, will be ten degrees less. ]N"ow,
if the cuttings are in the right condition, and are inserted
an inch or so in the sand, freely watered, and shaded
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY CUTTINGS.
(J5
from the sun from 9 or 10 A.M. to 3 or 4 p.m., cuttings
of nearly all kinds of plants are certain to take root in
from ten to twenty days. But the cutting must be in
the right condition, and this is best shown by the engrav-
ing (figure 24). It will be observed that the upper
portion of the shoot is snapped or broken, while the
Fig. 24. — PROPER AND IMPROPER STATE OF CUTTING.
other is only kneed or bent. Tliis " snapping point," as we
now term it, is a true indication of proper condition of
the cutting. Where it bends and does not break, it is too
hard ; and though a cutting will root when in that con-
dition, it w^ill be slower in doing so, and the roots thrown
out from it will be weaker and more wiry than when
emitted from a cutting taken in the condition in which
6Q GARDEN"IXG FOR PLEASURE.
it breaks. Besides, the plant grown from the older cut-
ting is not likely to be so healthy or vigorous as one made
when the shoot is in the proper state.
In propagating woody plants, such as Roses, Azaleas,
or Camellias, this test of breaking or snapping of the
cutting does not in these indicate the proper condition.
Although they also will root if taken in the soft state,
yet we find it is not quite so well to do so as to wait until
the cuttings of these woody plants get harder. What
this proper hardness is, it is not very easy always to deter-
mine. In Roses the best condition for taking the cutting
is reached when the young shoot (of which the cutting
is made) develops the flower bud to about the size of a
large pea. Although the shoot on which the flower bud
shows will make a j^roper enough cutting, yet, if it is not
desired to waste the flower, cuttings had better be made
of the ^^ blind" shoots, i. e., such 5'oung shoots as do not
flower. In making the cuttings of Roses, or, in fact, of
almost all plants (with a few exceptions hardly worth
noting), there is no need to cut at a joint, although nine
gardeners out of ten still do so, particularly those who
have learned the business in Europe, where, in this as in
many other things in horticulture, they still follow the
dictum of some savant of a century ago, never question-
ing why. But our business necessities here have caused
us to ride rough-shod over many of their set rules, and
in nono more ruthlessly than in this matter of propa-
gating. But as this book is written mainly for amateurs
in gardening, I will proceed to give a simple method by
which any one can propagate plants from cuttings or
slips, even when no greenhouse or hot-bed is at hand.
It is called
THE ''mud" or ''saucer SYSTEM" OF PROPAGATIN^G.
Take any common saucer or plate, into which put
sand to the depth of an inch or so ; then prepare the cut-
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY CUTTINGS. <17
tings in the usual manner, and insert them in the sand
close enough to touch each otlier, as in figure 25. The
sand is then to be watered to bring it to the condition of
mud. The saucer with the cuttings is then placed on
the shelf of the greenhouse, in the hot-bed, or in a sunny
window of any room in the dwelling-house ; in each case
fully exposed to the sun and never shaded. But one
condition is essential to success : until the cuttings be-
come rooted, the sand must he Icepl continually saturated
with loater and always in the condition of mud. To do
this the saucers must ])c watered at least once a day with
a very fine rose watering pot, and the watering must be
done very gently, else the cuttings may be washed out.
There is every probability that ninety per cent, of all cut-
tings put in will take root,
provided they were in the
proper condition, and the
temperature has not been
lower than sixty-five de-
grees nor above one hun-
dred. By the saucer sys-
Ficr. 25.— SAUCER propagatiok. i^,^^ ^ i,;_i.^,. i.^^.,^^ l
^ rem a higher temperature
may bo maintained without injury, as the cuttings are in
reality placed in water, and will not wilt, provided the wa-
ter is not allow^ed to dry up. Still the detached slip, until
rooted, will not endure a long continuance of one hundred
degrees, and we advise that propagation be done at such
seasons that the cuttings, wherever they may be placed,
will have, as near as possible, an average temperature of
seventy-five or eighty degrees in the sunlight. The cut-
tings will root (according to kinds and the temperature) in
from six to twenty days. Verbenas, neliotro2:)es. Fuchsias,
etc., root in a week, while Roses, Carnations, or Azaleas,
take two, three, or four weeks. When rooted they should
be potted in light soil (such as recommended in the
article ^' Propagating of Plants by Seeds"), in pots from
GS
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
two to three inches in diameter, and treated carefully by
shading and watering for two or three days. The shad-
ing is best done by covering the cuttings, after they are
potted off, with paper kept damp by sprinkling, say from
9 A.M. to 3 P.M. if the sun is shining on them. To such
as desire more extended information on the subject of
propagating plants by cuttings, I would refer to my work,
^'Practical Floriculture."
CHAPTER XIII.
PROPAGATING BY LAYERING.
Although florists now rarely resort to propagation by
layering, yet now and then it may be desirable for ama-
teurs to increase the
number of some fayorite
plant during the sum-
mer season, where no
other method of propa-
gation can be used. The
only difference between
a layer and a cutting is,
that the cutting is en-
tirely detached from the
parent plant, while the
layer remains partly con-
nected with it. Al-
though layering may be
done with the ripened wood of vines or shrubs of the
growth of the previous season, yet it is preferable to use
the shoot of the present year in its half-green state. For
example, a rose or flowering shrub is pruned in the usual
way in spring ; by midsummer it will have made strong
shoots one, two, or three feet in length from or near the
Tig. 26.— PKOPAGATING BY LAYERING.
ABOUT GRAITING AND BUDDING. 69
base of the plant. Take the shoot then in the left hand
(after having stripped it of its leaves for a tew inches on
each side of where it is to be cut), keep the fingers under
the shoot, and make a cut on the upper pari, an inch or so
in length, and to about half the thickness of the shoot ;
then slightly twist the ''tongue" or cut part to one side,
as shown in the engraving, figure 26. Having opened a
shallow trench, fasten the branch down with a hooked
peg, and cover with earth. It is a good plan to place a
liat stone over the layer to prevent the soil from drying
out. This plan of cutting the shoot in layering is rarely
shown in illustrations on the subject, the cuts usually
being represented at the under side of the shoot. When
cut at the lower side, the shoot can not be laid down
without danger of breaking it.
CHAPTER XIV.
ABOUT GRAFTING AND BUDDING.
It is often desirable to be able to bud or graft one va-
riety of plant on another entirely different variety; and
it is an interesting fact to know that the bud taken from
one plant and inserted so that it grows in another, and
is entirely sustained by the plant into which it has been
budded, in no way changes its character. This fact is so
well known to gardeners that they rarely think it neces-
sary to mention it in WTiting on the subject, and many
amateurs interested in horticultural matters have very
confused notions on budding. To illustrate : if a leaf
bud is taken from a wiiite Rose, and inserted in the stem
of a red Rose, all the branches that proceed from this
bud, leaves or flowers, will be identical with the white
Rose from which it was taken. Or if a leaf bud of the
red Rose be inserted in the white, the same result will
70 GARDEi^^ING FOR PLEASURE.
follow ; it will be identical in all respects with the red
variety. Or you may take a bnd or graft from the sour-
est Crab Apple, and insert it into a branch of the sweetest
Apple tree you can find, and the shoot which grows from
the Crab Apple bud will ever remain a Crab, and will in
no way be affected by the sweet Apple stock on which it
is growing. Or if the operation is reversed, and the
sweet Apple be budded or grafted on the sour, the result
will be the same. Its individuality will be in no way
changed ; it will be identical with the variety from which
it was taken.
Still further to illustrate this matter of budding or
grafting, you may take a Eose-bush having any number
of shoots, it makes no difference whether one or a hun-
dred. On each shoot you may bud a distinct variety of
Kose, of all the colors, forms, or odors embraced in
Koses, and each one will hold its distinct characteristic
of color, form, or fragrance, be it crimson, white, pink,
or yellow in color, double or single in form, or of tea or
other odor. Or you may take a young seedling Apple
tree, insert a bud of another into it, then, after that bud
has made a growth, bud still another variety into that,
and so on as many as is desired ; rub off all shoots in the
stem that start below, and the variety last budded will
hold its individuality unchanged, no matter though the
life-sustaining sap flows through the cells of several dif-
ferent kinds. You may mark the space occupied by each
of the varieties, and cut back to any particular variety,
and the fruit that will be produced by that part, which
will then be the top, will hold its character without
change. What is true of Roses and Apples is, of course,
equally true of whatever plant that can be grafted or
budded.
The stock does not in any mauner affect the individu-
ality of the graft, and I supposed that this was one of the
generally accepted axioms of horticulture ; but in a con-
ABOUT GRAFTING AND BUDDING. 71
versation not long ago Avith a gentleman whose opinion is
entitled to consideration, I found him inclined to believe
that there were some few exceptions to what had been
admitted to be a general law, and in support of his argu-
ment he referred me for exceptions to Darwin's '' Plants
and Animals under Domestication." I have examined
this work, and find but few cases wherein it is claimed
that the graft is influenced by the stock, or the stock by
the graft. At page 413, vol. i., is cited one of the most
important, that of the Cytisus Adami, produced, it is
claimed, by grafting the Cytisus purpurea on the Cytisus
Laburnum. This so-called '^ graft hybrid" repeatedly
showed its drooping racemes of flowers to be blended yel-
low and purple on the same raceme, and again, on the same
plant, racemes clear yellow and clear purple unblended
were produced. Again at page 457, vol. i., Avhere '^ Prof.
Caspary describes the case of a six-year-old white Moss
Eose, which sent up several suckers, one of which was
thorny and destitute of moss, exactly like those of the Pro-
vence Rose {R. centifolia), while another shoot bore both
kinds of flowers, and in addition longitudinally striped
flowers. As this white Moss had been grafted on the
Provence Rose, Prof. Caspary attributes tlie above changes
to the influence of the stock ; but, from the facts already
given, and from others to be given, bud variation with
reversion is probably sufficient explanation ; " and Dar-
win proceeds to give nearly a dozen cases of like variation
where there was no grafting at all. A very marked case
of this 'M3ud variation " recently occurred in my own
greenhouses. In a bed of about one hundred plants
of the Tea Rose ^'La Nankin," all made from cuttings
from one parent plant, we have had four distinct varie-
ties. The original flower or bud has its base or louver
half of a nankeen yellow color, while its upper half is
pure white, the separate colors being clearly defined ; yet
among our plants from cuttings we have some flowers
72 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
that are entirely of the nankeen color, without white ;
then, again, pure white with no nankeen, and on one ahoot
the flowers came of a light pink or blush shade. Now
had Prof. Caspary a grafted plant of ^^ La Nankin " play-
ing these freaks, he no doubt would have concluded that
it was the influence of the graft on the stock. There are
other instances in grafting where an amalgamation of
individualities aiyparently occurs. These cases are famil-
iar to all horticulturists of much experience, and are also
alluded to by Darwin in the work above referred to. He
gives a number of instances where the variegated Ole-
ander grafted on the j^lain-leaved variety as a stock,
imparts the variegation to the stock, or where a yellow-
leaved ash tree, grafted on the common green-leaved
variety, produced a blotched or variegated variety. That
most of the variegation in the foliage of plants is due
to disease, or at least some disturbance of the regular
functions of the sap, there is but little doubt, and it is
therefore but an accidental condition of the individual.
Where a variegated plant is budded or grafted upon a
healthy subject, the disease is transmitted from the un-
healthy bud or graft to the healthy stock in a manner
somewhat analogous to inoculation of smallpox virus in
man. The character or constitution of the individual is
in no way affected in the one case more than in the other.
All who have been extensively engaged in the growing of
plants, either in the greenhouse or in the open field,
know that, when variegated kinds of almost any variety
of woody plants are grafted on those having plain leaves,
the variegation will be transferred to the plain-leaved
stock, but the variegation only; it is changed in no other
respect. The most common examples of this are the
variegated Ahiitilon, variegated AUheas, or variegated
Ivies, which almost invariably transmit the '^diseased"
foliage to the healthy stock; but there is never any change
made in the coloring of the flower nor in the shape of
ABOUT GRAFTIXG AND BUDDING. 73
the leaTCs. I consider it most unfortunate for Mr. Dar-
win to have advanced the peculiarity of variegated leaves,
as bearing on his theory of ^' graft hybrids." That leaf
variegation is indicative of disease is manifest from many
facts. It is quite a common thing to find a shoot sent
out by the silver-leaved or variegated Geraniums that is
pure white in stem and leaves, without a particle of green,
or such golden variegated kinds of Geraniums as *^Mrs.
Pollock" will send out a pure yellow shoot ; but all efforts
to make plants of such shoots will fail. They may feebly
root as cuttings, or tbey may be grafted on a green-leaved,
healthy stock long enough to drag out a few A\eeks of
existence, but the disease is here thoroughly established,
and all attempts to propagate these entirely abnormal
growths completely fail. It has been claimed that the
Duchesse d'AngoulOme and other pears are much better
flavored when grafted on the quince than on the pear
stock, and these are quoted as examples of the influence
of the stock on the graft; but to me this seems capable of
another explanation.
We know that the pear stock is a vigorous and ram-
pant grower as compared with the quince, and may it not
be that this vigor of growth in the tree impairs the flavor
of the fruit in some varieties, just as we find the flavor of
fruits impaired when grown in too rich soil ? The effect
of soil upon quality is particularly marked in melons. I
remember that I once grew^ a field of three acres of Xutmeg
melons. One half of the patch was rich bottom land, and
the other portion was a rather poor hillside. The fruit pro-
duced on the bottom land was much larger, but so different
from and inferior in flavor to those on the hillside that no
one would have recoo:nized the two as beins: of the same
variety. Grapes grown on a shaly hillside are better fla-
vored than on a rich alluvial deposit. The same, though
in a less marked degree, probably occurs in other fruits
under similar conditions. For these reasons I believe
74 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
it safe to assert that the preponderance of. evidence is
against the belief that the stock in an}^ manner aifects
the graft other than that it may cause it to grow stronger
or weaker, just as the stock is strong or weak, and the
amount of such influence will be only such as a rich or
poor soil would produce. In other words, the *' stock"
is only a medium or soil wherein the grafted individual
grows, and affects it no more than if it drew its suste-
nance direct from the earth : strong, if on a strong stock,
as on a fertile soil, and weak, if on a weak stock, as on a
sterile soil.
I believe that the smallest or the greatest of God's
creations has a separate and distinct individuality, and
that they cannot be blended, except by generation, and
that the product of generation, whether in the lowest
microscoi^ic germ, or in the highest type, man, has an
individuality distinct and separate that it cannot attach
to another.
CHAPTER XV.
HOW GRAFTING AND BUDDING ARE DONE. ,
After this discussion of general j^rinciples, let us come
to the practice of grafting and budding. In what has
been said, the words have been used as synonyms, and their
object is precisely the same — to propagate a particular
jplant upon a rooted plant of another kind. Among
fruits we do this because we cannot multiply choice vari-
eties by seed or by cuttings. Stocks are raised from seed,
which, if allowed to grow and bear, may produce a poor
and worthless fruit, or it may be a good kind. To make
matters sure, we graft a twig of a kind that we know upon
a seedling about which we know nothing. "With Camellias,
some of the choice kinds cannot well be 2)ropagated
HOW GRAFTING AND BUDDING ARE DONE. 7o
from cuttings, but many of tlie commoner kinds will grow
in this wti3% and the choice Camellias are grafted upon
stocks obtained by rooting cuttings of the other strong
growing kinds ; so in various cases among fruits and
llowers, budding or grafting affords the readiest, if not
the only method by which we can multiply certain va-
rieties. A graft is a tsvig containing one or more buds,
and so inserted or planted in the stock that the new
bark and new wood of the two shall be in close con-
tact. In budding, a single bud with as little wood as
possible, is inserted or planted below the bark of the
stock, and in direct contact with its new or sap woo i.
While we give the two operations different names, the
French call budding simply a variety of grafting — shield-
grafting. In a general way, it may be stated that in
grafting we use buds of a previous year, and insert them
upon the stock where they are to grow the spring after
they are formed, and as soon as vegetation starts, these
buds commence to grow. In budding we use buds of the
current season's growth. The recently formed buds, near
the end of the growing season, are planted in the stock,
where they unite, and remain dormant until spring, when
the* inserted bud pushes into growth at the time that the
natural buds of the stock start. These statements apply
only to out-door grafting and budding. AVlien these oper-
ations are performed under glass, the propagator has con-
trol of atmospheric conditions, and varies them to suit
the subjects in hand. In out-door grafting, such as that
upon fruit trees, the cions are best if cut in the fall and
preserved in sand or sawdust in the cellar during the
winter ; though with very hardy sorts this is not essential,
they should be cut before any swelling of the buds takes
place. The operation succeeds best when the buds on
the cion are perfectly dormant, and those on the stock
have swollen and about to open.
76
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
GRAFTING.
The Yarious methods of grafting* are too many to de-
scribe here. The simplest is the cleft graft. The stock is
sawed off, and the end cleft or split for a few inches down
through the center (figure 27) ; the cion (or two if the
stock is over an inch in diameter), with two or three
bnds, has its lower end smoothly cut to form a wedge a
trifle thicker on one side than tiie other (figure 28) ; the
cleft in the stock is pried
open by means of an iron
w^edge or a w^dge-shaped
stick, and the cion or cions
set with the thicker edge
of the wedge outward, ob-
serving to bring the inner
bark and new wood of stock
and cion in as close contact
as possible. The opening
wedge being withdrawn,
the spring of the stock will
hold the cions in place
(figure 29). The junction
is to be covered with graft-
ing wax, or w\axed cloth, taking care to completely cover
every wounded .portion of both stock and cion. It is by
this method that most of the grafting is done by farmers
all over the country. It is rude, but very successful. The
objection to it is, that it leaves too great a wound to be
closed over. For small stocks the whip-graft is generally
used. It is much easier to do it than to describe it. Stock
and cion should be as nearly of a size as possible. Both arc
cut with a similar slope, and in each slope is cut a tongue,
as in figure 30. A\'hen the two slopes are put together, the
two tongues are interlocked as in the engraving, taking
care that the inner bark of stock and cion come in con-
Fig. 27. Fig. 28. Fig. 29.
CLEFT GRAFTING.
HOW GRAFTING AND BUDDING ARE DONE.
77
tact as completely as possible. In this illustration the
parfcs are represented as tied with twine, to show the
joint below, but in practice the whole is completely cov-
ered with a band of waxed cloth. This, where practica-
ble, is an excellent graft, there being no large wounds to
heal over, and the points of union are numerous. This
graft is much used by nurserymen in root grafting small
apple and pear stocks. A very simple form called the
side-graft is often employed by florists and nurserymen.
Fig. 30.— WHIP GRAFT.
'■m\r
Fig. 31.— SIDE GRAJT.
The cion is cut to a long wedge, and the stock has a
downward cue made in its stem, into which the cion
is inserted, as in figure 31. In grafting the Camellia,
the Rose, and other hard-wooded plants, a combina-
tion of the whip and side graft is made use of, as
shown in figure 32.
Grafting wax used to cover the wounds made in graft-
ing may be purchased at the seed and implement stores.
78
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
or the amateur can make it himself. It should be soft
enough to be molded by the heat of the hand on a cool
day, but not so soft as to run when exposed to the heat
of the sun. It is essentially rosin and beeswax, with tal-
low or linseed oil enough to make it sufficiently soft. A
good formula is rosin 2 lbs., beeswax V/^ lb., tallow y,
lb. The better way for the amateur to use this is to melt
the whole together thoroughly, and then dip in it strips
of well-worn cloth, such as may be torn from a worn-out
sheet or calico dress. These waxed strips will tear read-
Fig. 33. — GRAFTING THE CAMELLIA.
ily, and may be neatly fitted to the graft to make a com-
plete covering. The fingers should be slightly greased
when applying the waxed cloth. We find in our prac-
tice of grafting Roses, for which we use mainly the Ma-
netta Rose stock, to do the work from January to March,
a slight bottom heat is indispensable for the best success;
that is, from sixty-five to seventy-five degrees bottom
heat, with ten degrees less ^'top" heat, must, as near as
HOW GliAFTIlN^G AXD BUDDIXG ARE DONE. 79
possible, be kept in tlie greenhouse or hot-bed where the
grafting is being done.
BUDDII^G.
The shoot or stock to be budded upon must be in a
thrifty growing state, so that the bark can be raised
freely from the wood, and the bud to be inserted must
be in such a state that it shows prominently at the axil
of the leaf. Select a smooth portion of the stem of the
stock, strip it of leaves sufficiently to allow room for the
Fio-. 86.
BUD TI2I).
THE METHOD OF BLDDING.
operation, and then make a cut tlirough tlie bark to the
wood of an inch or so, with a cross cut at the top, as shown
in figure 34. Although the illustration does not show it, a
slight cut of the bark should be made above the cross-cut.
This is done to allow the bud to slip in better. This cus-
tom, we think, is not general, but we find the operation
is done quicker aud better by its use. Next take the shoot
from which the bud is to be cut, and selecting a properly
developed bud, cut it from the shoot as shown in fio-ure
33. The edges of the cut in the stock are lifted by
the point of the knife or an ivory attachment to the
budding-knife, the bud inserted and pushed down as in
80 G.VRDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
figure 35. The portion of bark attached to the bud that
projects above the horizontal cut in the stock is cut
off, and the tie applied. The tying material should be
RiifRa bark, though cotton wick or other soft material
will do. The engraving, figure 36, shows where to place
the tie ; but when of Raflfia bark it quite covers the wound
and excludes water and prevents drying. In two or three
weeks after the bud has been inserted, it will be safe to
remove the tying, and if the operation has been performed
on a Rose in June, it will often make a considerable growth
the same season ; but if done in August or September, it
usually lies dormant until the next spring. All shoots
upon the stock below the bud must be rubbed off, both
in budding and grafting, and when the bud that has
been inserted starts to grow, the stem above it must also
be cut back just above, so that the inserted bud, which now
becomes the plant, may get the full benefit ot the root.
CHAPTER XVI.
TREAT^klENT OF TROPICAL BULBS, SEEDS, ETC.
Any information that can be given in an article sliort
enough to be suitable for amateurs on a subject so ex-
tended as this must be confined to a few well-known and
leading plants most valued for general cultivation. The
Tuberose is one of the tropical cla<s of bulbs, requiring
at all times a high temperature. Details of culture will be
found in the Chapter on Bulbs, Fall or Holland, Page 44.
Some of my readers have seen or cultivated the bulbs
known as fancy or spotted-leaved Caladiums. There are
probably no plants that assume such varied and wonderful
markinixs of the leaves as these, so that when first seen it
is difficult to believe that such painting is the work of Xa-
TREATMENT OF TROPICAL BULBS, SEEDS, ETC. 81
ture and not of art. When properly grown, Caladiums are
among the most attractive plants at our agricultural fairs
and horticultural exhibitions. The continued high tem-
perature necessary for the healthy growth of the Tuberose
is equally indispensable for the Caladium. The bulbs or
tubers we treat at first exactly in the same manner as the
Tuberose when started for early flowering out-doors ; that
is, they should not be started much before May 1st, and
never should they be kept for any length of time in a less
temperature than sixty-five degrees. They are best started
in small pots, and should be shifted into larger ones as
soon as these get filled with roots. Started in May, and
properly treated, they should be large enough by August
or September to require a flower pot twelve inches in
diameter, and the plant should be, according to the
variety, from two to three feet in diameter across the
leaves. Caladiums require a little shade, and if kept
in a greenhouse during summer, the glass should bo
shaded, but the light of an ordinary sitting-room would
be just about right ; so that even those who have not a
greenhouse can grow these rather rare and beautiful
plants with perfect ease. The only thing necessary, if
grown as a window plant, is to turn the pot around every
few days, so that each side may get a proper amount of
light, a necessity with all plants grown in windows.
Caladiums do well a little shaded in the open air, cither
in baskets on verandas or planted in the open ground.
The soil best suited for its growth is that known as sandy
loam, to which should be added one-third rotted manure
or leaf mold.
The same time of starting and a similarly high tem-
perature is required for Begonias of all kinds, Bouvardias,
Cannas, Cissus, Coleuses, DracaBnas, Euphorbias, Poin-
settias. Salvias, and all other plants known as '' hot-
house" or '^tropical," and the same general treatment
will m nearly all cases lead to satisfactory results. All
g2 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
of the plants or bulbs referred to will dwindle or die if
long kept in a low temperature, and hence it is important
that amateurs should remember that they ought not to
attempt the cultivation of these plants unless they have
the means of steadily keeping up the necessary high tem-
perature. For that reason we recommend that they should
not be started before May, as then they run less risk of
being chilled.
What is true of tropical bulbs or plants is equally so of
tropical seeds. Those who have not had experience, or
who have not the means of keeping up the necessary
high temperature, should not sow the seeds of tropical
plants before April 1st. Of vegetable seeds, the best
known of this class are the Tomato, Pepper, and Egg
Plant. I know they are often started in March in hot-
beds or gi-eenhouses with satisfactory results ; but let any
one try the experiment of sowing on March 1st and on
April 1st, and note the result in the earliness of the crops
from the two sowings, and he will find that the chances
are that the lasc will be first. If it were always practica-
ble to keep the necessary temperature steadily along, the
first sown would be the first ; but this is often very dif-
ficult to accomplish, while there is but little difficulty
with the later sow.ng, as assistance is then given by
the increasing outside temperature. For this reason
seeds of tropical annual flowers, such as Amaranths of
all kinds, Balsams, Salvias, Double Portulacas, Cannas,
Coxcombs, Zinnias, etc., should not be sown before April
in tlie hot-bed, or, if in the open ground, in this latitude,
not before May loth.
THE POTTIXG OF PLANTS. 83
CHAPTER XVII.
THE POTTING OF PLANTS.
This naturally follows the preceding chapter, and I
will briefly state a few of the most important points. First
of all is soil, or potting mold, often rather a troublesome
thing to get by those who have only a few dozen plants
to repot. The soil used by us, and by most florists, for
nearly every plant we grow, is one combining freshness,
richness, and what is called '•' friableness " of texture. This
condition we get by paring off the sod from the roadside,
mixing it with one-third of well-rotted stable manure,
throwing it in heaps until it rots, and turning it over
two or three times until the whole is well mixed. If the
plants are small, we run it through a fine sieve before
using it ; if large, we use it rough, without sifting. Bat
it may not always be convenient to get this material, and
it is by no means indispensable to success. Leaf mold
from the woods, mixed with any fresh field loam, and a
littla rotted stable manure, will answer nearly as well ;
or city folks can get sweepings from the pavements, and
these, mixed in equal bulk with any good fresh soil — that
from an old cultivated garden is not usually so good —
will make a potting soil in which almost any plant will
grow vigorously. Small lots of potting soil had best be
got from the nearest florist.
Now, having the soil in proper condition, the next
thing is the pots, which, if they are not new, should be
thoroughly washed, so that the evaporation of moisture
will take place freely through the porous sides. One of
the most common errors among amateur cultivators is to
put their plants in too large pots. H a plant such as a
Rose or Geranium is lifted up out of the ground to be
potted, it should be placed in a pot only large enough to
allow an inch or so of soil to be placed below and around
8.4 GARJ)EK1NG FOR PLEASURE.
its roots ; or, to make it better understood, if the plants
are, say a foot high and a foot in diameter, they should
be pruned back so that the diameter will not be more
than six or eight inches, and for such sized plants the
pot should not be more than six inches wide and deep.
The same rule applies to plants that have been grow-
ing in pots. If the plant is now in a pot three inches wide,
a proper shift v.'ill be to one four or four and a half
inches wide ; if in a five-inch, shift to six and a half or
seven-inch, and so on. In taking a plant out of a pot
to place it in another, turn it upside down, with the
fino^ers of the left hand spread over the surface of the
earth or top of the ball, and with the right hand holding
the pot by the bottom, give the rim a smart rap on
the edge of a board, and the ball of earth enveloping the
root will come out, just as a jelly will out of a mold. I
am particular in referring to this simple matter, knowing
that it is no uncommon thing for ladies to break the pot
with a hammer in their endeavors to get at the roots,
although they would hardly sacrifice a bowl to get at the
jelly. In shifting, or repotting, place a little soil in the
bottom of the pot; then place in the ball of roots exactly
in the center, which will leave a space of from half an
inch to two or three inches between this and the sides of
the pot, according to the size of plant to be shifted. To
pack this space between the side of the pot and the ball
of roots with soil, it is better to use a flat stick with which
to crowd it in moderately firm, filling up the pot to with-
in an inch or so of the rim, this space being required to
enable it to hold ^ater. A point of great importance
not generally known in shifting plants, is, if the ball of
soil surrounding the roots is hard or encrusted, to beat
around it gently with a light piece of wood, so as to
loosen the outer crust. If this is not done there is some
danger of it getting too dry, as the water cannot so easily
penetrate the hard ball of roots and earth as it can the
WIJ^TTER-FLOWERIJn^G tlants. 85
loose soil in which it is being potted. The same rule
applies to all pot-bound plants when planted in the open
ground. Beat the ball gently or squeeze it with the hand,
so as to give the roots a better chance to start out into the
fresh soil. After potting, give a good watering with a
sprinkler to settle the soil to the bottom of the pot ; but
after this be sparing of water until the plant shows signs
of new growth, which will take })]ace simultaneously
with its making roots in the fresh soil. We usually
use no potsherds or drainage until they reach the size
of five inches in diameter ; but after that size, particu-
larly if the plants are to be grown in the winter months,
when plants are to be shifted, one-fourth of the depth
of the pot is filled with broken pots, charcoal, or broken
oyster shells, placing the largest pieces at the bottom,
and covering up with the finer portions at the top. Over
this drainage it is all important to place some material
tliat will prevent the soil from being washed into the
drainage and choking it up. By far the best thing we
find is waste cocoa-nut fiber, or the new packing material
known as ^' excelsior. " AVe ourselves now use a wad of the
** excelsior" as drainage for all pots under seven inches,
and nothing else, dispensing entirely with potsherds.
CHAPTER XVIII.
WINTER-FLOWERING PLANTS.
The increase in the taste for winter-flowering plants,
within the past few years, has been even more positive
than that for the cultivation of plants out of doors.
Formerly it was rare for florists to fill an order in the fall;
but now, during the months of October, November,
and December, they make shipments daily in large
quantities to every section of the country ; and these
nearly equaling in number those of plants for the open
86 GAKDEi^ING FOR PLEASURE.
ground in May and June. The plants best suited for
flowering in winter may be divided into two classes.
First, those requiring a moderate temperature at night,
say an average of fifty degrees. In nearly all cases where
reference is made to " night temperature," it will be un-
derstood, that the ^^day temperature" should be ten to
fifteen degrees higher. This is to imitate, as far as pos-
sible, the conditions found for the best growth in the
natural temperature in the open air. Thus, we find in
this section of the country, tiiat in the open air we get
tiie most vigorous growth (in plants that are^natives
of temperate latitudes) from the middle of May to the
middle of June, and from the middle of September to
the middle of October. For most plants (such as Roses,
Carnations, Geraniums, etc.) the average temperature
of night and day should be between sixty-five and sev-
enty degrees, or fifty at night with fifteen degrees higher
in the daytime. Temperature is always taken by having
the thermometer hung in the shade ; for if exposed to
sunlight it will run sometimes fifteen to twenty degrees
higher, which would be deceptive. Whether the plants
are grown in the parlor or sitting-room of a private
dwelling, or in a greenhouse specially constructed for
their culture, the conditions should be as nearly as pos-
sible the same ; that is, uniformity of temperature
ranging from forty-five to fifty-five degrees at night, and
an avoidance of a dry atmosphere. It is easy enough in
the greenhouse to get a properly humid atmosphere by
sprinkling the paths with water ; but in a room in the
dwelling house, the only thing that can be done is to
place pans of water on the stove, furnace, or whatever
may be the source of heat. If plants are kept in a sit-
ting-room or parlor, an east, southeast, or south aspect
should be chosen. Plants of the class that mav be srrown
at an average temperature of fifty degrees at night are Aza-
leas, Abutilons, Ageratums, Carnations, Cinerarias, Catalo-
nian Jessamines, Cape Jessamines, Camellias, Callas, Cho-
WINTER-FLOWEKING PLANTS. 87
rizemas, Geraniums of all kinds, Hibiscus, Hyacinths,
Myrsiphyllum (Smilax), Mahernias, Primulas, Stevias,
Eoses, Violets, and the various kinds known as green-
house plants, which, together with those above named,
can be found fully described in the florists' catalogues.
The second class, or hot-house plants, require an aver-
age temperature of sixty degrees at night, the range of
which, however, may occasionally run from fifty-five to
sixty-five degrees without injury. Of these we name the
following : Begonias, Bouvardias, Clerodendrons, Eu-
phorbias, Epiphyllums, Fuchsias, Heliotropes, Poinsettias,
Roses (these will do in either temperature, though rather
better in the lower), Tuberoses, etc. For farther lists
and descriptions of varieties, reference may be made to
the catalogues. The necessity for this difference in tem-
perature is not absolute, as many plants will do very well
in either ; but we make this distinction as a guide to
those having a choice of temperature, in order that they
may select the plants that are best adapted to the one at
command. In a greenhouse, particularly if heated by a
flue, there is often a difference of five or ten degrees be-
tween one end and the other ; and in such a case the
plants named in the first class must be placed at the
cool end, and those of the second class at the other.
One of the most troublesome pests of plants grown in
the greenhouse or the sitting-room in winter is the aphis,
or "green fly," as it is termed. We have no difficulty in
gettino; rid of it in the greenhouse, when it is separate
from the dwelling ; all that is necessary is to get some to-
bacco stems (such as are thrown out as refuse by cigar
makers), and sprinkle them with water, so that they
become slightly damp. About half a pound or so for
a greenhouse twenty-five by twenty feet is placed over a
small handful of shavings, only enough to light the
dampened tobacco, as too many shavings might injure
the plants by smoke. The burned tobacco stems give
88 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
out a smoke that is quickly fatal to the *' green fly." To
thoroughly prevent the least appearance of this insect,
the greenhouse must be fumigated every four or five
days. We fumigate all our greenhouses twice each week
during the winter, and dust the leaves with tobacco
dust after syringing in summer ; our rule being that an
aphis must never be seen upon any plant in the houses.
If the Greenhouse is attached to the dwellins:, so that
the tobacco smoke would find its way into the rooms,
recourse may be had to another remedy : take the same
waste tobacco stems, and steep them in water until the
liquid is of the color of strong tea. With this water
syringe the plants freely twice a week. Another plan is
to sprinkle the leaves with water, and then shake snuff
or tobacco dust over them. This will not only ef-
fectually destroy the green fly, but will keep in check
many other insects that infest plants. Where only a few
plants are kept in rooms, the easiest way is to dip the
plants entirely in the tobacco water, moving them up
and down in the liquid, to wash the insects off if they
have a firm hold.
The "red spider" is another pest to winter-blooming
plants, even worse than the aphis, and wherever it is seen
you maybe certain that the atmosphere has been too dry,
and very likely the temperature too hot, as it is rarely
found in a cool, damp atmosphere. The treatment for
this insect in the greenhouse is copious syringings with
water; but where only a few plants are grown in the hous«
it is best to go over the leaves, especially on the under
side, with a w^et sponge or a brush. The red spider is so
minute that it is hardly distinguishable by thenaked eye,
but its destructive effects are quickly perceivable, as the
leaves upon which it works soon become brown, and if
the leaves are closely examined, particularly the under
side, the minute insect will be seen in great numbers.
Another troublesome insect among plants that are
WIl^TER-FLOWERING PLANTS. 89
grown in a high temperature is the *' mealy bug." The
insect is flat, and whitish brown, usually nestling at the
axils of the leaves, where it is covered with a white pow-
der, making it easily distinguishable. This is one of the
most annoying of all insects that attack plants, and until
a few years ago no certain remedy was known ; but we
have now in ** Fir Tree Oil,'' mixed in the proportion of
one pint to ten gallons of water, and syringed on once a
week, a certain remedy against mealy bug, scale, red
spider, and, in fact, nearly all insect life. The use of it
must be continued once each v/eek, or the remedy will not
be effectual. Where only a few plants are grown the
same remedy can be applied with a soft brush or sponge
on the leaves. Another pest, not an insect, but a vege-
table parasitic growth known as mildew, affects but few
plants in-doors except the Rose. (For remedies see chap-
ter on Insects and Mildew.)
The amateur is warned against the common practice
of placing plants in too large pots. As a general thing,
when plants are received from the florist they are with-
out pots, and are usually in a condition requiring them
to be shifted into a pot larger than they have been grow-
ing in. For example, if they have been grown in a
pot of three inches diameter, place them in one a size
larger, or four inches in diameter ; if they were in four-
inch pots, give them one five or six inches across, and so
on. Florists, as a rule, do not practice crocking or drain-
ing pots until the pots get to a size over four inches, and
often not then, because, having pots of all sizes on hand,
they do not need to give plants any larger shift than nec-
essary, and hence there is less need for drainage ; but
often the amateur has to change a plant that has been
grown in a pot of three inches diameter into one of six
inches, and then it is necessary to fill up one-third of this
too large pot with broken pots, charcoal, or some such ma-
terial, to drain off the surplus moisture that would other-
90 GARUEXING FOR PLEASURE.
wise be injurious, in consequence of the pot being too
large for the plant ; but if the pot into which it is shifted
is properly adjusted to the wants of the plant, the put-
ting in of crocks for drainage may be dispensed with.
The need of a larger pot is shown by the earth becoming
so filled with roots that they well cover the outside of the
ball ; but shifting into a larger pot should be done while
the roots are yet white. If left until the roots get thor-
oughly matted, brown, and hard, it is too late, and the
future growth will be seriously retarded. If the plant
has been allowed to reach this condition, which we call
*' pot bound," it is best to lay the ball of roots on one
hand and slap it smartly, so as to loosen it. By this treat-
ment the new fibers strike out more readily from the
hard roots than if left with the ball still compact. After
shifting a plant, give it one good watering, so that the
soil will be thoroughly soaked to the bottom of the pot ;
but after that, keep rather dry until there are indications
of new growth. (For manner of potting, see chapter on
** The Potting of Plants.") We are often asked as to the
use of guano and other fertilizers on in-door plants. As
a general thing we use none in our own practice, prefer-
ring to shift the plants into fresh soil at the proper time
rather than to do so, and we would advise the same to our
friends of less experience, for the use of all such stimu-
lants is, under certain conditions of the plants, danger-
ous in unpracticed hands. When it is inconvenient to
shift winter-flowering plants into larger pots, they will
be greatly benefited by stirring up the soil on the surface
of the pots to the depth of an inch or so, or down to
where the young roots appear, taking care not to disturb
these too much. Throw away the old soil, and replace by
rich, fresh soil, in which one-twentieth part may be
bone dust. This is called *^top dressing." The various
kinds of bulbs used for winter flowering are fully detailed
under their separate kinds. (See Bulb Forcing.)
WINTER-FLOWERING PlANTS. 91
GARDEN" CULTURE OF THE ROSE.
One of the most diflBcult questions that the florist lias
to answer to his customers is what kinds of Roses are the
most suitable to plant. If in a section of the country
Avhere til ere are only slight frosts, and the thermometer
never falls lower than twenty or t wen tv-fivedeorrees above
zero, then the Tea, Bourbon, Bengal, and Xoisette, all
of which are evergreen and ever-blooming, should alone
be grown, as they will all stand over the winter in such a
temperature. The so-called Hybrid Perpetual Roses,
which are hardy in the Northern States, do but little
good in such climates as that of South Carolina, Louisi-
ana, or Florida, for the reason that, being deciduous — that
is, they lose their leaves in winter — the warm climate
denies them the rest their nature requires, and, conse-
quently, they either die outright or continue a feeble
existence. It is not easy to draw the line at which these
Roses fail, or where they succeed. As a rule, it may be
said, that the hotter the climate the more unsatisfactory
they will be. At the North, again, we are met by the
difficulty that nearly all the Monthly Roses are too tender
to stand our winters, where the thermometer reaches
zero.
An old German florist, in reciting his tribulations on
this subject to me a few years ago, said: ^'I haf so
mooch trouble with de ladies when dey come to buy
mine Rose. Dey all wants him hardy, dey wants him
dooble, dey wants him nice goolor, dey wants him nice
shape, dey wants him fragrant, dey wants him moondly,
dey wants him to be everydings m one Rose. Now I
haf to say to dem ladies, though not what you call an
ungallant man, I say, dat I sees not dat lady dat is
rich, dat is young, dat is good demper, dat is beauti-
ful, dat is healdy, dat is smart, dat is everydings in one
lady. I sees her not mooch."
93 GAllDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
This was true of the Roses when my old German friend
told of his troubles, but since then we have been fortu-
nate in getting a new class of Roses known as the
HYBRID TEAS,
all of which, by covering with four inches of leaves put
on in December around the roots, prove perfectly hardy
in most of the Northern States, besides being all monthly,
all douUe, ^\\ fragrant, and all oi fine form. These now
comprise many fine kinds, among which are :
Dinsmore, bright scarlet crimson, splendid form.
Ball of Snoiv, pure snow white, fragrant.
La France, deep pink, shading to light rose, splendid.
American Beauty, rich light crimson, grand form,
large size, and exceeding all other Roses in its delightful
odor.
Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, rosy blush, globular, large.
Pierre Guillot, very dark crimson.
Thus far there are no Roses having a yellow tinge that
are hardv, and it is doubtful if there ever will be a yellow
monthly Rose sufficiently hardy for the Northern States.
MOXTHLY OR TEA ROSES.
The class best adapted for sections of the country
where the thermometer never falls below twenty degrees
alove zero, is yet extensively grown in the summer
season in all the Northern States, for the reason that
in it we have not only a distinct and delicious tea fra-
grance, but a far greater range of color than is found in
either the hardy Hybrid Tea or Hybrid Perpetual class ;
for in these the colors only range through shades of
white to crimson, while in the Tea or Monthly class
we have all shades of yellow, copper-color, and orange,
besides all the colors embraced in the hardy sorts. More-
over, the Tea class of Roses gives greater profusion of
WIXTER-FLOWERJXG PLANTS. 93
bloom, and is easier propagated ; consequently the plants
are now sold so cheap that many plant beds of them for
their value for summer flowers only.
HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES.
This name is certainly misleading when the plants are
grown in our hot and dry summers, for they really give
only one good bloom in June with us, though in tlie
cool and moist climate of Great Britain many of the
kinds bloom nearly the entire season. Individually this
is by far the finest class of Roses. The flowers are of
the largest size, and nearly all have the delicious fra-
grance peculiar to the old Moss and Damask Roses.
The size of many of them is immense, often five inches
in diameter. All are hardy, requiring no care after jilant-
ing ; but, as has been said, most of them bloom only
once, and hence are not so satisfactory in this respect
for our climate as the ever-blooming sorts.
SOIL AXD CULTURE OF ROSES IX THE GARDEX.
Like nearly all other plants, Roses delight in deep,
rich, well-drained land. (See Chapter on Soils.) AVhen
a bed of Hybrid Perpetual Roses is to be planted, the
soil should be dug to the depth of at least one foot, and
well mixed with a coating of two or three inches of rotted
cow manure. In the absence of that, sow bone dust on
the surface just thick enough to cover it, or about
half a pound to a square yard, and mix to the depth
of a foot with the soil. If Hybrid Perpetual Roses
are to be set out for a permanent bed, plant from eigh-
teen to twenty inches each way ; if Hybrid Teas, from
fourteen to sixteen inches ; and if Monthly or Teas, about
twelve inches. The Hybrid Perpetual and Tea Roses
require to be pruned like any other hardy shrub. Cut
94 GARDEXIXG rOR PLEASURE.
the young wood, any time after the leayes have dropped,
back to two or five eyes, regulating it according to the
strength of the shoot, the weaker shoots being cut to two
or three eyes, the stronger to four or five, shaping the
bush so as to get it into goo& form. The Monthly or
Tea Koses require but little pinning except to thin out
the ^* blind" or old wood, or topping by pinching out the
center of any shoot that is growing too luxuriantly, so
as to keep the plant in good shape.
ROSE GROWING 1^ WIXTER
is now such an important part of floriculture that hun-
dreds of acres of greenhouses in the vicinity of all our
large cities are specially erected for and devoted to the
culture and production of buds during the fall, winter,
and spring months. To describe the various modes of
culture in all their details would take more space than
can be afforded for it in " Gardening for Pleasure," and
to such as desire to go into Rose-growing as a business, I
refer to mv new edition of '^Practical Floriculture."
Por amateur readers I will here detail a few brief in-
structions.
AYhen a few dozen plants of Roses only are to be grown,
it is perhaps best to grow them in pots. They can be
procured from any of the florists who make a business
of growing Roses for w^inter, in September, October, or
]S[ovember, at a cost of from four to six dollars per dozen,
for such plants as arc grown in five or six-inch pots,
and average from ten to fifteen inches in hight. These
are usually in a condition to shift into larger pots. If m
a five-inch they should be shifted into a seven-inch, and
in like proportion according to size of pots or plants,
care being taken to thoroughly drain the pots, as it is
impossible to get good results from Roses in w'inter unless
the water can pass tlirough the soil freely. If to be
WINTER-FLOWERING PLANTS. G5
grown on a large scale, then the plan used by florists
to set the plants out on raised benches should be used.
When to be grown on benches, they should be phmted in
July, August, or September, and if wanted in quantity
can always be obtained from the rose-growers at the
wholesale rates, which run from twenty to thirty dollars
per hundred, according to size and variety.
SOIL AND BENCHES.
The soil in which the Roses are to be grown should not
exceed five inches in depth, the boards being so arranged
as to allow free drainage for the water. Periiaps the best
way to make the bottom of the bench is to use wall strips
or other boards, not to exceed four inches wide, leaving a
space of at least half an inch between the boards or strips,
so as to make certain of perfect drainage. The bottom
is first covered with thin sods, grass side down, or what,
in our o2:)inion, is better, the new packing material called
*^ Excelsior," and then the soil is placed on to the depth
of four inches. This soil is made from sods cut three or
four inches thick from any good, loamy pasture land,
well chopped up, and mixed with one-fourth of well-
rotted cow dung to three-fourths of sods. In our own
practice we use, in addition to the cow manure, one-
thirtieth part of pure bone dust. It is perhaps best to
let the sod be well rotted before it is used, although, if
this be not convenient, it will do fresh, if well chopped
up. Of late years we have used the Acme harrow to
break and mix up with the manure all soil used for
Itoses, at a saving of three-fourths of the labor.
DISTANCE TO PLANT.
The distance for Roses such as I describe (those that
have been grown in six-inch pots, and averaging one foot
90 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
high) should be one fool teach way, so as to get the full
benefit ctf a crop by January. It is true that, if planted
twice that distance, they would be thick enough before
bearing ; but they will not fill up sufficiently until the
middle of January, if planted much wider than one foot,
and it is always before that date tliat Roses are highest in
price. Tiie temperature at which Roses are grown in
winter is an average of fifty-five degrees at night, with
ten to fifteen degrees higlier during the day. Conse-
quently, if heated by hot water, in this latitude, a house
twenty feet wide will require eight runs of four-inch pipe
to maintain that heat ; if sixteen feet wide, about six
runs ; and if twelve feet wide, about four runs. If heated
by steam, a one-and-a-half-inch pipe will be about equal
to a four-inch hot-water pipe.
VEIfTILATIOX
is an important matter. In a Rose house twenty feet
wide, sufficient ventilation will be obtained by having
lifting sashes, to the width of thirty inches, placed along
the whole of the roof on the south side, hinging them so
that they will open at the ridge pole. For this purpose
the patent ventilating apparatus should be used, which
costs from sixty to seventy cents per running foot.
WATERIIfG AND MULCHIXG.
Watering is a matter ot the first importance, and re-
quires some experience to know what is the proper con-
dition. It is not often that Roses require to be watered.
The heavy syringing necessary each forenoon in clear
weather to keep down red spider is generally sufficient to
keep them in the proper condition of moisture ; of course,
good judgment must be used to syringe heavier in warm,
bright weather, when the plants are in vigorous growth,
than in dull weather, or when the plants are not so vigor-
WINTER-FLOWERING PLANTS. 97
ons. Better to err on the side of dryness, particularly
from October to March, Whenever there are indications
of the soil being too wet, stop syringing, but keep the
air of the house moist by watering the paths. The best
growers now use very little mulching until the days begin
to lengthen in February or March, the "food" given
being usually a top dressing every three or four weeks,
from October to February, of half an inch of compost,
consisting of two parts of well-rotted cow dung to one
part fresh soil, to which is added about one-tenth part
of pure bone dust. Frequent light stirring of the soil
is of advantage to admit air to the roots and assist the
evaporation of moisture from the soil.
There is some difference of opinion as to the value of
liquid manure in Eose forcing in winter. In our experi-
ence we have found that it had better not be used on
Roses growing on the benches or in pots until about
February ist, when the days begin to lengthen and the
sun becomes brighter. In the case of Hybrid Perpetual
Roses growing in pots, that have been started from dried
off or rested plants about October 1st, which should come
into bloom during December and January, it is well to
water such plants once a week with liquid manure, so as
to get the best development in color and size of buds.
We prefer liquid manure from cow dung to all else. It
is perfectly safe, no matter how strong it is made, and we
think it is more lasting in its effects than liquid made
from guano or similar fertilizers. Fumigating with
tobacco smoke for the suppression of the Aphis (green
fly) should be done twice a week ; or, what will answer
equally well, a mulch of two or three inches of tobacco
stems spread on the walks or under the benches, will
keep off the green fly if renewed every five or six weeks.
Rose growers practice this method now almost entirely.
It is quite as effective as fumigating, and safer, as that
more or less discolors the buds.
98 GARDENIJ^G FOR PLEASURE.
PRUNIIs^G.
But little prnning is done to Tea Roses until they
begin to get too thick towards spring. The '' blind-
wood " should then be gradually and judiciously thinned
out, care being taken not to cut too much off at once, as
that would be certain to more or less check the vitality
of the plant by gorging the rootlets with water ; hence,
after pruning, for a few days water sparingly.
TEA ROSES ; VARIETIES TO FORCE.
The varieties grown are changing every season, and no
list we can give to-day is likely to renuiin as the best ten
years hence. The favorite Tea Roses now grown for
winter are Perle des Jardins (yellow), Sunset (orange).
Papa Gontier (carmine), Niphetos (white), Catherine
Mermet (rosy pink), Souvenir d'un Ami (delicate peach
color), Cornelia Cook (white). Marshal Robert (pale yel-
low), Madame Cusin (pink), Bon Silene (carmine).
The Bride (white), William Francis Bennett (crimson),
American Beauty (light crimson), La France (rich peach
color), The Puritan (white), and Meteor (scarlet crim-
son). The last five are "Hybrid" Teas, but they are
usually grown as Teas.
Of Climbing Roses, which are grown on the rafters
of the greenhouse, Marechal Niel (yellow), Lamarque
(white), Gloire de Dijon (salmon rose), Red Gloire de
Dijon (carmine), and the new Waltham Climber (deep
crimson), are the best. This last has not yet been largely
tested, but in all probability it will supply a want long
felt. It is a double Rose of fine form and of exquisite
crimson color, equal in nearly all respects to our finest
Hybrid Perpetuals ; all dark Roses that we have hitherto
had in climbers being shy bloomers with inferior flowers.
Unfortunately, none of the Climbing Roses that are used
WINTER-FLOWERING PLANTS. 99
in the greenhouse for winter flowering are hardy enongli
to stand our winters in tlie Northern States, though
most of them prove hardy south of Richmond.
The Hybrid Perpetual class of Roses are less grown by
amateurs than the Teas, and if wanted in midwinter require
special treatment, which our space here will not admit
being given, but which is contained at length in ^^Practical
Floriculture." The varieties of Hybrid Pei'petuals best
adapted for early forcing are : Anne de Diesbach (rich
pink), Countess of Oxford (very large, soft, rosy carmine).
Magna Charta (splendid bright pink). Mad. Gabriel
Luizet (light pink, splendid), Paul Neyron (immense
size, dark pink), Baroness Rothschild (rich shade of rose).
Rosy Morn (cherry rose, large and full), Merveille de
Lyon (pure white, other characteristics same as Bar-
oness Rothschild), Anne Alexis (dark pink), General
Jacqueminot (crimson), Princess C. de Rohan (crimson,
almost black), Dinsmore (crimson scarlet), Marquis de
Castellaine (brilliant pinkish carmine). Pride of Wal-
tham (peach color), Mrs. Laing (light shade of rose color).
MILDEW.
Roses, when grown under glass, with proj^er attention
to temperature and moisture, are not usually attacked by
Mildew ; but, as a preventive, it is well to paint the hot-
water pipes once every two or three weeks with a mixture
of sulphur and lime or sulphur and guano, made of the
consistence of whitewash (the guano or lime is simply to
make the sulphur stick better to the pipes). We also
use this mixture of sulphur on our steam pipes, but only
on about one-sixth of the surface. If the whole pipe
were covered, as in the hot-water pipe, the fumes would
be strong enough to hurt the plants. The fumes of
sulphur, as diffused by the heated pipes, is a never-
failing means of destroying the germs of Mildew or
100 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
any other fungoid growth, and also holds in check,
to some extent, the red spider, an insect often so
troublesome to the Rose. In the summer, or at any
season of the year when no fire is used, it is well to
dust the foliage lightly with a mixture of sulphur and
tobacco dust once a week, after the leaves have been wet
by syringing or watering, so as to kill the ajoMs or green
fly and prevent mildew at the same time.
THE ROSE-BUG OF THE GREENHOUSE.
For the Rose-bug {Aramigus Fulleri), so detrimental
to success in Rose growing under glass, there seems no
sure remedy except the slow one of catching and killing
the insect as soon as it is seen on the leaves. It is not
easily observed, as it gets under the leaves and close to
the shoots of the plants. Its presence is known by the
bitten leaves showing where it is feeding. It will be un-
derstood that it is not the Rose-bug in its perfect state
that does the injury. The bug deposits its eggs close to
the root of the plant ; these quickly hatch into Uirvae or
maggots, which at once begin to feed on the roots of the
Rose, destroying it completely. Many years ago we
adopted the plan of paying our boys one cent apiece for
the bugs which they caught at their dinner-hour, and by
this method have completely kept them under, so that to
see one now is a rarity. The perfect bug is of grayish
color, about half an inch in length, and somewhat of the
appearance of the common beetle. Hundreds fail to
succeed in growing Roses from no other cause than that
the roots of the plants are being sapped by this insidious
pest.
For the best results in winter forcing of the Rose, or, in
fact, for the production of any kind of fruit or flower
during the dull winter months, it is all important that
the greenhouse be such as to give tlie greatest amount of
WIXTER-FLOWERIXG PLANTS. ]01
liglit possible; for that reason I advise, for all such work,
the style known as the three-quarter span, shown in fig-
ure 58.
ORCHID CULTURE.
The t.iste for cultivating Orchids is rapidly increasing.
Every season dozens of amateurs already possessing green-
houses begin the culture of Orchids. To be successful,
careful attention and some knowledge of the subject by
actual practice are necessary; but as most of our gardeners
are such as have had European training, nearly all that
are proficient in their business have a knowledge of
Orchid culture. It is about the only part of floriculture
that I have had no actual practice in, so that I am
glad to avail myself of the experience of one of the most
successful Orchid growers in this or any other country,
Mr. Wm. Gray of Albany, who kindly has written the
following brief instructions :
The best twelve well-known kinds are, Catfleya Tria-
nicB, Dendrobiinn nohile, Dendroiium Wardianum, Lcelia
anceijs^ Coelogy^ie cristata, Lycaste Shinneri, Odonto-
glossum Alexandrm, Odontoglossum Pescatorei^ Oypripe-
dium insigne, Pliaius Wallichii, Calantlie Veitchii, Ca-
lanthe vesfita. The next twelve are Catfleya MossicBj
Ccelogyne ocellata, Cyprij^edium Spicerianum, Cypripe-
dium villosum, Dendrobiuin crassinode, Phaius grandi-
folius, Phalcenopsis amahilis, Phalcenopsis Schilleriana,
PhalcBiwpsis Stiiartiana, Vanda ccBrulea, Vanda San-
deriana, Zygopetalum Mackayi. (For descriptions, see
Orchid Catalogues.)
Of these the best suited for growing in pots are Catt-
hyas, DendroHums, and Odontoglossums,2i\\oi^h.\c\i do
well in coarse chopped peat, pots nearly filled with crocks ;
Coelogyne and Lycaste. coarse, sandy peat, with chopped,
half-decayed leaves ; Cypripediums, Phaius, and Zygo-
102 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
2)etalums in peat and loam, and a little rotten manure ;
PhalcBnopsis, Yanclas, and Lcelias do well in baskets,
pots, or small pans, in chopped sphagnum ; the drainage
must be perfect. Calanthes, chopped sods of sandy loam,
with not over-fine leaf mold. The plants must be made
steady with stakes and copper wire.
The kinds suited to grow on bark or cork, or other
such material, are Cattleyas, Lcelias, Phalcenopsis, Van-
das, and Dendrobiums. These all do well on blocks of cork,
rafts, cylinders, etc., with sphagnum or other moss ; but
take more care, as they dry so quickly. A plant on a block
v^ill take water twice a day ; the same in a basket only
once in two days. Blocks can be hung overhead, and
dipped twice a day in hot, dry weather.
The temperature should be, for such varieties as PTia-
Icenopsis, Vandas, DendroMitms, and Cypripediums, in
winter, sixty to sixty-five degrees at night, to sev-
enty-five degrees by day, with air ; in summer, seventy
degrees at night, ninety or more degrees by day, with
plenty of air and ventilation at night. Cattleya, Lcelia,
Pliaius, Calanthe, Cmlogyne, and Zygopetalum, in winter,
fifty-five or sixty degrees at night, seventy degrees with
sun by day; in summer, sixty-five degrees at night,
eighty-five degrees by day, with plenty of air. Odonto-
gJossums, in winter, fifty-five degrees at night, sixty-five
degrees by day ; in summer, as cool as they can be kept.
All want abundance of atmospheric moisture night and
day.
Some kinds, such as Phalcenopsis and Vandas, grow
at all seasons ; Cypripediums, Cattleyas, and Lcelias in
spring ; Calanthe, Coelogyne, Phaius, and Zygopetalums
in summer. When any plant grows in winter (except
Odontoglossums) it should be placed in a warm house.
Odontoglossums do best at a temperature of fifty-five to
seventy degrees ; never hotter, if possible.
Cattleya TrianicB, Lcelia anceps, and Cypripedium in-
WINTER-FLOWERIJS"G PLANTS. 103
signe bloom during the resting period, wliicli is from De-
cember to January. Phalcenopsis and Va?idas grow all
the year ; and daring the short dark days of fall and
winter less food is given by withholding water. Calan-
the, Coelogyne, and Phaius bloom with the maturity of
the growth, then lay dormant until spring.
The best shading for an Orchid house, when ground
glass is not used, is canvas raised eighteen inches above
the roof ; or, if that is not convenient, thin paint, made of
turpentine and whiting or white lead. Lay it on in the
middle of March and brush it off in the middle of Octo-
ber. Ground glass is too dark from October to March
for plants, and nothing does w^ell with me under it in
winter. I use first quaUty clear French glass. When the
glass is shaded with canvas it should be done from March
to October, from nine o'clock in the morning to four
o'clock in the afternoon, except on cloudy days.
Orchids when grown by a florist to pay would have to be
grown in quantity, each species with a house to itself ; but
when grown by amateurs, of course nearly all species are
usually grown in one house. The most of the twenty-four
species named could be had in flower from November to
April. All plants with a tendency to early maturity
should be placed at the warm end of the house, or, in the
fall, partition off the space necessary at the warmer end
for the most forward. The plants would have to be im-
ported from the woods at first cost, when grown to sell
(established plants at present prices would be too expen-
sive), and the flowers sold cheap to become popular.
Orchid growing to-day is where Rose growing was thirty-
five years ago. To sum up : In the cultivation of Or-
chids all plants, when newly potted or mounted, should
be made firm or wired, otherwise, if the plants move by
syringing, or other cause, the rootlets will be destroyed.
The atmosphere of an Orchid house should always be
moist, winter and summer, in winter allowing the pot-
104 GAKDENIN'G FOR PLEASURE.
tery, cork, or other material to become more dry. Light
and air are essential to vigorous growth, deluging with
water when in active growth, but never closing top venti-
lation ; never having a stagnant atmosphere ; gradually
withholding water as the gi'owth approaches maturity,
and then only enough to keep from shriveling. As to
time for re-potting, the cultivator is guided by the com-
mencement of growth. Plants should always be under-
potted as long as the plant is not top-heavy, such as
Cattleyas, Lcelias, Den droMiims, etc.; a top dressing is
all til at is needful. Calanthe, Phaius, etc., are re-pot-
ted annually.
Insects, such as thrips and aphis, are kept under by
filling the evaporating pans, or other vessels, with chopped
tobacco stems covered with water. Slugs are kept down
by placing lettuce leaves, sliced potatoes or carrots on
the pots, which examine daily, and destroy. Roaches and
water bugs may be killed by mixing roach poison with
molasses, and placing it on oyster shells at convenient
points in the gi-eenhouse. These same remedies will be
found effective against insects attacking any kind of
greenhouse plant.
CHAPTER XIX.
UNHEALTHY PLANTS— THE REMEDY.
Whe:n"ever plants begin to drop their leaves, it is cer-
tain that their health has been injured. This maybe due
to over-potting, over-watering, over-heating, too much
cold, or the application of such stimulants as guano, or
to some other cause which has destroyed the fine rootlets
by which the plant feeds, and induced disease that may
lead to death. The case is not usually important enough
UNHEALTHY PLANTS— THE REMEDY. 105
to call in a '* plant doctor," so the amateur begins to
treat the patient, and the practice is, in all probability,
not unlike that of some of our household physicians who
apply a remedy that increases the disease. Having
already destroyed the, so to speak, nutritive organs of
the plant, the *' stomach" is gorged with food by apply-
ing water, or with medicine by applying guano or some
patent ''plant food." Kow the remedy is nearly akin to
what is a good one when the animal digestion is deranged
— give it no more food until it re-acts. We must then,
if the roots of the plant have been injured from any of
the above-named causes, let the soil in which it is potted
become nearly dry ; then remove the plant from the pot,
take the ball of soil in which the roots have been envel-
oped, and crush it between the liands just enough to
allow all the hard outer crust of the ball of earth to be
shaken off; and then re-pot in rather dry soil, using a new
flower pot, or the old one, thoroughly washing it, so that
the moisture can freely evaporate through tlie pores. Be
careful not to over-feed the sick plant. Let the pot be
or'ly large enough to admit of not more than an inch of
soil between the pot and ball of roots. After re-pot-
ting, give it water enough to settle the soil, and do not
apply any more until the plant has begun to grow, unless,
indeed, the atmosphere is so dry that the moisture has en-
tirely evaporated from the soil, and then, of course, water
must be given, or the patient may die from the opposite
cause — starvation. The danger to be avoided is, in all
probability, that which brought on the sickness, namely,
saturation of the soil by too much water. Other causes
may induce sickness in plants, such as an escape of gas
in the apartment, or smoke from a flue in the greenhouse;
but in all cases, when the leaves fall from a plant, with-
hold water, and if there is reason to believe that the soil
has been poisoned by gas, or soddened with moisture, shake
it from the roots as before advised, and re-pot in a fresh
106 GARDEKII^G FOE PLEASURE.
flower pot. Many years ago, when I used smoke-flues in
my greenhouses, some kindling wood, carelessly thrown
on the top of one of them, ignited, and the smoke caused
the leaves of every plant to drop. There were some
3,000 plants, mostly Tea Roses, in the greenhouse. It
would have been too much of a job to re-pot all, but by
withholding water for some ten days, they started a new
growth again, and very few plants were permanently
injured.
CHAPTER XX.
PLANTS SUITED FOR SUMMER DECORATION.
Quite a number of winter-blooming plants can also
be used for flowering in the open borders in summer.
Among these are Carnations, Heliotropes, Fuchsias, Ce-
raniums, and particularly the monthly varieties of Roses;
but if these have been forced to produce flowers in win-
ter they will not give as much satisfaction for summer
flowering as young plants will, and whenever they look
sickly by the time they should be set in the open ground,
they had better be thrown away, as they will do little
good. The following, not strictly winter-flowering, are
such as will give a continuous bloom during the whole
season, from June until October or November. Antir-
rhinums (raised either from seeds or cuttings), Agera-
tums, Anthemis, Abutilons, Chrysanthemums, Dwarf
Dahlias, Erythrina or Coral Plant, Gladiolus, Geraniums
of all kinds, particularly the class known as "Zonal,"
double and single, Fuchsias in shade, Feverfew (cut-
tings), Hollyhocks (seeds only), Heliotropes, Hibiscus
(cutting?), Lantanas, Lobelias, Petunias, single and
double (seeds or cuttings), Pansies (seeds only), Pent-
PLANTS SUITED FOR SUMMER DECORATION. 107
stemons, Passion Flowers, Rondeletias, Salvias, Tropaeo-
lums, Verbenas (seeds or cuttings), Veronicas, Zinnias
(seeds only). All of the above have their principal at-
traction in their flowers. The following are only useful
for the brilliant coloring or other peculiarities of foliage.
Alternantheras, Achyranthes, Artemisias, Cerastium (cut-
tings), Oentaureas (seeds), Caladiums, Coleus (cuttings).
Cinerarias (seeds), Dracaenas, Echeverias, Geraniums (sil-
ver, gold, or bronze), variegated Ivies, Lysimachia, varie-
egated Grasses, Peristrophe, Sanchezia nobilis, Vinca ma-
jor, etc. (For descriptions, see florists' catalogues.) All
of the above can be raised from slips or cuttings taken from
plants (or by seeds where noted), during the winter or early
spring months (January, February, March, or April),
either from plants that have been kept for flowering in
winter, or from large plants that have been preserved for
the purpose of propagation. The young plants raised from
slips are in nearly every instance preferable to the old
plants. Our practice is, to grow the old or ^^ stock"
plants simply to make cuttings, until we get enough
from them, and then to throw the old plants away, re-
serving the young ones only for selling, or for our own
planting in the open borders. Cuttings are rooted in the
way described in the chapter on *' Propagation of Plants
by Cuttings," or if by seeds, as in chapter on '^ Propaga-
tion by Seeds." The young plants should first be potted
in two-inch pots, and if early in the season, they will re-
quire to be shifted into three or four-inch pots before it is
time to plant them out in the open ground, which it is not
safe to do in this latitude until the middle of May ; nor
in any other latitude before the time when Tomatoes or
Egg Plants can safely be planted out.
Nothing is more satisfactory to the lover of flowers
than raising his own plants, no matter how able he may
be to purchase. Those of his own raising, whether for
his own use or to present to his friends, are always more
108 . GARDE2^IN"G FOR PLEASUKE.
valuable than anything that money can buy. One of the
most common mistakes made by purchasers of plants in
our city markets, is that of almost invariably choosing
large plants, forced into flower. Such plants are usually
grown under a high temperature to get them in bloom
early, and many a housewife has found that the beautiful,
full-blooming plant of a Rose, Fuchsia, or Pelargonium,
which she so tenderly carried home, will in forty-eight
hours drop its flowers and leaves in the cooler and drier
atmosphere of her greenhouse, parlor, or garden. But
the florist is hardly to blame for this, though I know he
is often severely censured. Kot one in a score of those who
purchase plants in spring will buy any plant unless it is in
bloom. The florist grows plants to sell, and must suit the
wants of his customer. This little divergence from the
subject in hand, is to show that the small slips or cuttings
that the amateur may raise himself, or which he can buy
from the florists in small plants at one-fourth of the price of
the forced plants sold in market, are in most instances bet-
ter than full-blown forced plants, costing fifty cents or a
dollar each. This is particularly so with monthly Roses,
Verbenas, Geraniums, Fuchsias, Petunias, Carnations,
etc. Young plants of these, set out in May, if not more
than three or six inches high, will grow and bloom in
profusion the entire summer, while those which have
been forced, if they recover at all, will be greatly in-
ferior.
We plant our young Roses in May, usually in beds
four feet wide, setting the plants twelve inches apart each
way. They begin to bloom by the middle of June, and
continue without interruption until checked by frost in
the fall. And so with most other kinds here named ;
nearly all of which are from young plants, propagated
during the winter and spring months. The product of
cuttings or slips from a '^ stock" plant varies greatly, ac-
cording to the kind. A good healthy phmt of Fuchsia,
J
PLANTS SUITED FOR SUMMER DECORATION. 109
say eighteen inches high, will easily give forty cuttings ;
■while a Eose or Geranium of the same size will not af-
ford half that number. A fair average for medium
sized plants of those named would be ten cuttings or
slips to each plant, so that, starting with 100 plants
in the fall, by May 1,000 would be no unreasonable in-
crease to expect ; or in that ratio, be the number more
or less.
If large quantities of plants are wanted for summer dec-
oration by those who have neglected to propagate them,
or did not wish to do so, they should purchase young
plants in March or April, at which time the florists, to
make room in their houses, sell them at very low rates,
usually not more than one-fourth of the price that the
same plants forced into bloom in May would cost. Such
plants at that season are grown mainly in two and three-
inch pots. If taken from these pots, say by 1st of April,
and kept in any cool room or greenhouse, where the tem-
perature will average forty-five or fifty degrees at night,
by the time of setting out in May they will have formed
far better plants than those pushed rapidly into flower in
May. Or, in other words, $10 expended in March or
April will buy plants which, if cared for as above de-
scribed, will by the middle of May be of more value
than the plants $50 would buy at that date from the
same florist. There are tens of thousands of lovers of
flowers spread over the land so situated that they have
neither the means nor the opportunity to get the green-
house or bedding plants above described for the decora-
tion oi flower borders in summer; but by the use of an-
nual flower seeds properly selected, a blaze of flowers
may be kept through the entire months with very little
care and at a trifling cost.
The list of annuals here given embraces nearly all the
best leading kinds, though there are hundreds more, de-
110
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
scriptions of which and of these will be found in the
seed catalogues.
Abronia.
Acroclinium.
AlyssLim.
Amarantbus.
Angelonia.
Aster.
Balloon Vine.
Balsam.
Bartonia.
Cacalia.
Calendula.
Calliopsis.
Campanula.
Canary Bird Flower.
Candytuft.
Casto'r Oil Beau.
Celosia.
Chrysanthemum.
Clarkia.
Cockscomb.
Collinsia.
Convolvulus.
Cypress Vine.
Datura.
Delphinium.
Dianthus.
Everlaslina: Flowers.
Globe Auiarauthus.
Godetia.
fielichrvsum.
Ice Plant.
Larkspur.
Loasa.
Lobelia.
Lupinus.
Malope.
Mari.ffold.
Marvel of Peru.
Mio'uonette.
Mimosa.
Morning Glory.
Nasturtium.
Nemophila.
Nisella.
CEnothera.
Pansy.
Petunia.
Phlox Drummondil.
Poppy.
Portulaca.
Rhodanthe.
Salpiglossis.
Saponaria.
Scabiosa.
Schizanthus.
Senecio.
Solanum.
Stocks.
Sweet Peas,
Sweet Sultan.
Thunbergia.
Verbena.
Vinca.
Virginian Stock.
Whitlavia.
Zinnia.
ANNUAL SEEDS — HOW TO SOW.
To produce the best results where annual seeds are to
be sown in the open border, the soil should be enriched
with stable manure or other fertilizer, juet as for a crop
of vegetables or fruits (see Chapter on Manures), thor-
oughly dug, and raked level and smooth. The location
for nearly all kinds of annual flowers should be free from
shade • although some kinds, such as Pansies, will do
quite well in some shade, that is, where for half of the
day only they get sunlight. The seed catalogues usually
distinf^uish the diSerent species of annual flowers by
attaching the words ''hardy annuals" to such as are
hardy. All such may be sown in the open ground as soon
as the soil is dry enough in spring to work. All the
others, not so designated, are of tropical origin, and are
known as tender annuals, and should not be sown in the
vicinity of Xew York until the first week in May. The rule
best to give for all sections of the country is, not to sow the
tender kinds until such time as the farmers begin to plant
PLANTS SUITED FOR SUMMER DECORATION. Ill
com, melons, or cucumbers. This rule, if kept in view, will
apply to all sections of the country, from Maine to Florida.
Many seeds of annuals may be sown thickly and trans-
planted so as to make the most of them ; but, as a gen-
eral thing, this is not done. They are usually so.vn in
rows from six to twenty-four inches apart, according to
their kind, or in circular patches of from one to two
feet in diameter, each circle being from one to two feet
apart from the other, according to the growth of the
variety. But whether sown in rows or in circular patches,
first stir up the soil so that the seed can be readily cov-
ered from a quarter of an inch to one inch in d3pth.
After the seed is sown, shake over it fine soil sufficient
to cover the seeds, lighter or heavier, according to
the size of the seeds. The covering is best done by
sifting the soil over the seed, using a sieve made of
mosquito wire netting, which covers the seed more regu-
larly than can be done by the hand, and, besides, it brings
the soil to the proper condition of fineness, so important
in the coverinsf of small seeds. After the soil has been
sifted over the seeds to the proper depth, take a smooth
board or the back of a smooth spade, and gently pat down
the covering over the seeds. It is a good plan to place a
label or piece of stick in the center of each circular
patch, or, if in rows, at each end of the row, so as to
mark where the seed has been sown ; for it must not be
forgotten that in nearly all soils there are the seeds of
weeds, which spring up often quicker than the flower
seeds do ; therefore it becomes necessary to know exactly
the spot where the seeds have been sown, so that the
weeds can be pulled out or hoed up, and not crowd
and smother the flowers. Seedsmen have hundreds of
complaints every season from their customers that only
weeds come up from flower seeds sown, while the facts
are, that the weeds came up around the flower seed-
lings, and, not being pulled out, enveloped and smoth-
112 GARDEiNlKG FOR PLEASURE.
ered the flowers. After weeds have been removed, if
the annuals come up thickly, which they usually do,
they should be thinned out, leaving the strongest plants,
so that they shall stand at from two to six inches apart,
according to their kind. Some few annuals are not strong
enough to stand without support, and for such twigs
or stakes twelve or eighteen inches high should be used.
For all climbing plants, such as Sweet Peas, brush,
stakes, or strings proportioned to their hight, must be
used at an early stage of their growth, or they may be
trained on the Tomato trellis described in chapter on
Implements.
Our seed catalogues are nearly all defective in not
giving more specific directions for the culture of annual
plants. If the space used for description of form and
color were devoted to telling the time and manner of sow-
ing, it would be of far more benefit to the amateur buyer;
but nearly all follow the English practice of giving de-
scriptions of varieties only. There the necessity for such
information is less, the people being better informed as
to flower culture, and the climate is also more congenial
for the germination of most seeds.
CHAPTER XXI.
HANGING BASKETS.
Baskets in which to grow plants are now made in a
great variety of styles and of different materials. What
are known as " rustic" baskets (figure 37) are made with
the receptacle for the earth covered mostly with laurel
roots, which assume an endless variety of grotesque
shapes, well fitted for giving a rustic appearance to the
outer covering of the hanging basket. Then there are
HAXGTNG BASKETS.
113
the different forms of wire baskets, which, when used,
are lined with moss, and being thus very open, and allow-
ing of complete drainage, are best suited of all for the
well being of the plants. Many beautiful forms are
made from pottery ware, colored so as to imitate stumps
of wood and other objects. Thousands of these baskets
are used in some of their dijfferent forms, and many grow
their plants in no other way, as plants are not only more
easily managed in these, but many
varieties so cultivated make a more
graceful growth than is possible
when they are in pots. In hang-
ing baskets, the fall or Dutch
bulbs, of all kinds, can be grown,
giving them exactly the treatment
recommended for growing in pots
on page 44. When hanging bas-
kets are hung on the veranda or
porch in summer, a great quan-
tity of water is usually required,
as the dry air surrounding the
basket on all sides generally dries
up the soil. The simplest way
of watering them when dry, in ^^^- ^'^'
summer, is to immerse the bas- ^^'"^ ^^'^^^ ^^'^^•
ket in a pail or tub of water, so that the earth is thor-
oughly soaked through. How often this immersion will
be necessary will depend on the weather, the condition
of the plants, and the quantity of earth. If the bowl
of the basket is full of roots, and the weather hot and
dry, then once each day may be necessary ; while, if the
weather is damp and cool, it might not require watering
more than once a week. The rule with tliese, as with all
plants, is, never water unless tliey are drv, and then
water thoroughly. Just what this condition of being
'^ dry'* is, is not quite so easy to describe. As a rule, most
114 GARDEi^^IXG FOE PLEASURE.
soils, when dry, become lighter in color and crumble freely
between the fingers, and are free from the putty-like
consistency they have when wet. The bowls of *' rustic "
and "terra cotta" forms of hanging baskets are usually
without any means of drainage. \^ hen such is the case,
the purchaser should have a few holes, say one-fourth of
an inch in diameter, made in the bottom of the bow], else
there is danger that the earth around the roots may be-
come saturated with water, unless unusual care is taken
in watering. There is great diversity of taste displayed
in the material with which these baskets are filled, and
no special Hst of plants can be given that will not require
to be annually changed and amended as new plants are
introduced. AVhen hanging baskets are wanted for use
in shady rooms, or on shaded verandas, mosses (Selagi-
nellas) are used, and sometimes exclusively. Then for
the same conditions, Ivies of all sorts, Cissus, Tradescan-
tias, Sedums or Stone Crops, Fittoiiias, Lysimachia or
Moneywort, Vincas, Ivy-leaved Geraniums, Smilax,
Impatiens Mariana, Lygodium scandens (Climbing Fern),
etc., as plants to droop over the sides, or to be trained to
climb on the trellis work or supports of the basket, while
in the center there are used upright plants, such as
Dracaenas of sorts, Caladiums (if for summer), Marantas,
Centaureas, Echeverias, Ferns, Sanchezia nobilis, and
other plants of striking form or foliage. For baskets to
be placed in the sun, or in good light, an entirely differ-
ent class of plants is needed, for with the light we get
flowers and greater brilliancy of leaves. As drooping
plants for the edges of these may be named Alter-
nantheras, Peristrophe angustifolia var.. Lobelias, Tro-
pseolums, Mesembryanthemums, Petunias, single and
double, Passifloras, Eondeletias, Torenias, etc., while
lor upright or center plants, Achyranthes, Coleus, Be-
gonias, Geraniums (Zonal), double, single, and varie-
gated leaved, or any plant of not too large a growth.
HANGTXG BASKETS.
115
and which has brightness of foliage or flower. If hang-
ing baskets are exposed to the full rays of the sun, or
even partly so, covering the surface ©f the soil with
moss from the woods will protect it from drying too
quickly, and will also give the basket a neater appear-
ance. The soil used for hanging baskets need in no way
difl'er from that for plants grown in pots, Nothing adds
so much to the elegance of the verandas of our summer
hotels, as to have hanging baskets and climbing or droop-
ing vines judiciously interspersed throughout. • A most
Fig. 38.— A VERANDA GARDEN.
excellent example of this was seen at the Delaware Water
Gap House, in Pennsylvania, where, in 1886, the finest
example of this kind of work was shown that could well
be done, and all, too, by the hands of the wife of the
proprietor, Mrs. L. W. Broadhead. It was a never-
failing source of enjoyment to the guests of the hotel,
giving a graceful and cooling shade in the hot summer
months.
116 GASDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
CHAPTER XXII.
WINDOW GARDENING.
Wi:n"DOW gardening during the summer months is
mnch more successful in England than with us, owing to
a more temperate climate, and hence is there almost uni-
versally practiced. In the cities especially, where space
is economized by placing story upon story, and the
buildings are so close that there is often no room for even
a spear of grass to be grown, the only garden that is pos-
sible is one formed in a box on the window-sill. This is
limited in its extent, as the space afforded is only some
four or five feet in length, and from eight to ten inches
Fi?. 39. — PLAIN WINDOW-BOX.
wide, with a depth for the soil of about six inches. These
boxes are made of a great variety of materials, such as
wood, terra cotta, iron, etc., according to the taste or
means of the owner. As the boxes are usually too high
up to allow of a close examination, and the sides soon
become draped with drooping plants, an ordinary box of
pine, as in figure 39, will answer as well as a more expen-
sive one. As it is exposed to the weather, and the weight
of the earth is considerable, it should be put together
very firmly. Having procured the box, let a tin-smith
make a lining or box of zinc that will exactly fit
inside of it. This needs only a few tacks at the upper
edge to hold the zinc to the wood. Usually spaces are
left in the bottom to admit of the water passing freely
through. When this is not done greater care is required
WINDOW GARDENING. 117
in watering. A more expensive box (figure 40) is made
of wood, lined with zinc, and the exterior covered with
ornamental tiles, which are kept in place by a proper
molding at the margins. A box of this kind may be
covered with floor oil-cloth, and if a proper pattern be
selected, it cannot, at a few yards off, be told from the
much more costly tiles. Many of the streets of London
and Edinburgh, during the summer months, present a
pleasing appearance, that cannot fail to interest even
those who have no taste for flowers. The plants used are
mainly such as we recommend for hanging baskets, those
designated for shady positions being used on the shady
sides of the streets, and those for flowering on the sunny
sides. These window gardens in summer produce the
iii|iilipliMIiil!i!!i'il'i^^
Fig. 40.— WINDOW-BOX OENAMENTED WITH TILES.
finest effect when planted with some drooping plants.
For our climate, during the summer months, when ex-
posed to full sun, strong, vigorous-growing plants must
be selected, such as Tropaeolums, Petunias, Passifloras,
etc. ; while for the same position, the upright plants
may be double and single Geraniums, Heliotropes, Be-
gonias, and the like. For window boxes on the shady side,
use the plants recommended for hanging baskets in the
shade. The simplest use of window boxes is to sow them
with annual seeds, such as Mignonette, Sweet Alys-
sum. Phlox Driimmondii, Portulaca, etc., all of which
should have a southern exposure. For the manner of
sowing, see ' 'Annual Seeds — How to Sow." The soil may
be such as is used for pots. AVatering must be given
as recommended for hanging baskets, only, in the case
il8 GAEDEIS'ING FOR PLEASURE.
of the window box, it wonld not be practicable to im-
merse it, nor is there the same necessity for doing so, as
the box is less exposed than the hanging basket, which is
suspended and surrounded by drying air upon all sides.
These remarks refer to window gardening outside of the
windows, or on the outer sill. If the boxes are placed
inside in winter, which they may be, the treatment rec-
ommended in the chapter on " Winter-Flowering Plants"
will be applicable.
CHAPTER XXIII.
CULTURE OF WATER LILIES AND OTHER AQUATIC
PLANTS.
The following pages have been written by E. D.
Sturtevant, now of Borden town, N. J., who makes an
exclusive business of growing aquatic plants, and who is
acknowledged as the highest authority on the subject
that we have in this country.
THE WATER LILY TANK.
Although Water Lilies may be cultivated in tubs, they
may be grown to much better perfection if allowed
plenty of room, especially the larger-growing tropical
species. Those who wish to cultivate a number of kinds,
and have complete success, should build a tank about
twenty by thirty feet, and two feet deep, out doors. If
sunk entirely in the ground it would be more easily
protected from frosts in cold climates. But it may be
partly sunken, and the soil which is taken out used as an
embankment around the outside, sloping it up to the top.
I prefer that it should be sunk to the level of the sur-
rounding surface, for the reason that the banks can be
CULTURE OF WATER LILIES, ETC. 119
made more ornamental. It may be built of either brick
or stone. The bottom may be laid with rough stone and
grouted with cement. Or, if the soil is of a firm nature,
a thick coat of cement alone may be spread upon it.
This latter plan has been perfectly successful with us,
though we consider a concrete bottom preferable. The
walls should be nine inches thick, laid in cement, and in
cold climates made to slope outward from the bottom.
If it is desired to grow Nymphma Devoniensis, or similar
kinds, to full size of leaf and flower, then it will be nec-
essary to sink a pit in the center, one foot deep and four
feet square, to hold soil for them. Provide means for
emptying the tank of water, when desired ; also, a waste
pipe, near the top, for overflow. After the walls have
been built, and the bottom laid and grouted, the whole
must receive an additional coat of cement. About four
feet from each end of the tank, build a partition wall
about ten inches high. Bricks laid on edge will do, if
laid in cement. These spaces can be cut in two by an-
other partition. The compartments thus formed are for
the purpose of confining the roots of the different kinds
of Lotus within proper limits, and for planting out those
kinds of Nymphaea which do better in such a position.
The remaining portion of the tank can be taken up with
pots and large shallow boxes, which will be movable at
will. After the cement has properly hardened, fill the
compartments and boxes with soil, and cover with an
inch or two of clean sand. Fill the tank with water, and
let it get well warmed before planting anything tender.
As warm weather approaches, run a stream of fresh water
in, for an hour or two each day, to prevent stagnation
When the surface of the water is covered with leaves,
there is less tendency in this direction ; and all that
seems to be necessary is to replace what is lost by evapo-
ration.
The Lily tank must be placed in a warm and sunny
120 GAKDEJiTING FOR PLEASURE.
position, for these plants will not do their best unless the
water is thoroughly warmed. On the north side may be a
border filled with Musas, Cannas, Bamboos, Ornamental
Grasses, Caladiums, etc., which form a fine background
for the Water Lilies, and give the whole a tropical ap-
pearance.
In such a tank as above described, the tenderest
species named may, in this latitude, be planted out by
the 10th of June, and remain until the frosts of autumn
appear. If it is desired to enjoy the longest possible
season of bloom in the open air, then the Lily pond may
be located near a greenhouse, and some connection made
with the hot-water boiler. My manner of doing this is
to extend the hot-water pij^e (both flow and return) from
the boiler to the tank, and reaching a few inches inside
of the wall. The ends of these pipes are left open, and
when extra heat is wanted a fire is kept in the boiler.
The circulation being constant between tank and boiler,
the water in the tank may thus be warmed early in the
spring, the tender Lilies planted out earlier, and thus
earlier bloom be the result. Fire heat can be discon-
tinued as soon as the summer sun begins to do its work.
The season of bloom can be prolonged in the autumn in
the same manner. As soon as frosty weather arrives the
tender species should be taken under glass, and kept in
water at fifty-five to sixty degrees, according to the
variety.
For the protection of the tank in winter, place planks
or boards around the edge in such a manner as to cover
a space two or three feet in width, that is, over the
water, and cover them with a thick layer of leaves or litter.
This will help to keep the ice from forming at the edge,
and, consequently, from expanding too much and cracking
the walls. Another plan is to drain the water entirely
from the pond, and cover with twelve or fifteen inches of
leaves. Any one having a large factory could place a
CULTURE OF WA.TER LILIES, ETC. 121
Lily pond near it, so that the waste steam or hot water
(if free from chemicals or jfilth) might be utilized for
keeping- the water warm, and from freezing in wn'uter.
It may be asked, '*Why all this trouble and expense ?
Why not grow the Lilies in ponds with a bottom of nat-
ural earth ? -' We answer, that for the hardy kinds this
is undoubtedly a good plan, and very fair success may be
had in the same way with the tender kinds; but in a
pond with a cement bottom the water is more readily
heated by the sun, and retains its heat better.
THE WATER LILY GARDEl-^" COMPLETE.
I will add here a few words upon the *^ possibilities''
of aquatic gardening. One argument in favor of culti-
vating tropical Lilies in the open air is, that larger leaves
and flowers are obtained, and in case of the colored
kinds, greater depth of color than under glass. Another
argument is, the grand effect which may be produced
on the lawn or in any part of the pleasure ground. Let
us suppose that you wish to have an aquatic garden, fifty,
sixty, or a hundred feet in diameter. We will not build
it in the stiff form of a circle or oval, but the outline
shall be irregular, with here and there a small bay,
across which we will throw a rustic bridge to a miniature
peninsula. Somewhere o]i the margin w^e will build a
rustic summer-house. It shall be a two-story affair, for
sometimes we shall want to view our pets from an ele-
vate! position ; for, unlike our fellow-creatures, they
smile upon us when we look down upon them. If we
have a rocky ledge in our grounds, let us place our pond
near it. Now, let us suppose that all has been planted,
established, and come to midsummer perfection. Some
morning, before the night-blooming Lilies have begun
to take their midday sleep, let us ascend the low tower
and take a view of the picture. There, beneath us, is the
noble Xymj)licea dentata, covering a space twenty feet
122 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
in diameter, some of its leaves two feet across, and its
milk-white flowers twelve inches across ; there is the
grand JV. rubra, Avith its immense cups of glowing car-
mine; and there, queen of them all, is N. Devoniensis, sur-
passing in brilliancy of flower, if not in size of leaf, the
famous Victoria regia. Then come groups of these same
Lilies, planted more thickly; and though the flowers are
smaller, yet they are more numerous and just as brilliant.
Yonder, a little bay is filled with Egyptian Lotus, its
pink and white flowers, on stalks three feet above the
water, looking like immense tulips. Next is a mass of
the American Lotus, with its sulphur-yellow flowers ;
some of its floating leaves have strayed out into an open
space, and are thirty inches in diameter. Let us descend
and walk along the border of our little lake. Here is a
plantation of the lovely blue iV^. scutifolia; you per-
ceive its fragrance before you come near it. Next is the
beautiful Yellow Lily from Florida; and our own sweet
Water Lily is not forgotten, for it is here in masses. As-
sociated with it are its charming new, rose-colored vari-
ety, N. odorata rosea, and the delicate pink-tinted one.
Here are N. candidissima and N. alba rosea, with their
waxy petals, similar in color to some of the others, but
having their own distinctive merits and attractions. The
favorite Calla of our winter gardens lifts its white trum.-
pets towards the sky, and numerous smaller flowered
aquatics are found in profusion along the edge of the
water. Coming around to the Lotuses again, we find
growing near them, in shallow water, great clumps of the
Egyptian Papyrus, with its plumy heads on stalks six feet
high. Now let us look at some of the plants which as-
sociate well with water, and help form a background for
our picture. Scattered along the margin we find groups
of ornamental grasses, Eulalias, Erianthus, and Pampas
Grass. Yonder, on our little peninsula, stands a noble
Banana (Musa Ensete), twelve feet high. Farther on is
CULTURE OF WATER LILIES, ETC. 123
a clump of the tall Bamboo {Arundo Donax), and its
variegated variety. There are groups of Cannas, and a
large Palm, brought from the greenhouse to speod the
summer in the open air. Another stately plant is Aloca-
sia arhorea, with a tree-like trunk and fine, large leaves.
What is this great-leaved plant near the water's edge ?
It is Ounnera scabra (the Giant Rhubarb), with leaves
six feet in diameter. Now do you wish to give your
friends a glimpse of fairyland ? Then illuminate your
grounds, and invite them lo an evening fete or garden
party. Tiie Lotuses and hardy Lilies have closed their
flowers, but the night-blooming Water Lilies offer us a
feast for the eyes at night. Place large lamps, with re-
flectors, in such a position as to throw a powerful light
directly upon the flowers ; or, perhaps, Edison's magic
lamps are available, and you suspend a number of them
in midair over the water. Now the red Lilies fairly
glow with color, and are far more beautiful than by day-
light. The water is like a mirror, and in its depths you
behold another glorious picture — a perfect image of the
flowers themselves. The large, star-like white ones keep
company with the red in their night watches, and are
not unworthy companions for them. Look around at
the floating leaves, the numerous buds which will open
with to-morrow's sun, the tall shields of the Lotus, the
rich, tropical foliage on the banks, the rustic arbor cov-
ered with myriads of the silvery blossoms of the Moon
Flower {fyomcea grandijlora), and tell me if this is not a
fairy scene. And having taken a view of the Water Lily
Garden by daylight and by lamplight, will you not ac-
knowledge that in all that is really beautiful it far sur-
passes the most elaborate exhibition of carpet bedding ?
Perhaps you will say that this is a fancy sketch. Our
answer is, that it has been so far realized that we do not
hesitate to place such a garden as we have described among
the list of '^possibilities of horticulture" in America.
124
GARDE]SIXG FOR PLEASURE.
[My readers will be pleased to learn that the superin-
tendent of the government grounds and buildings at
Washington proposes to add a, collection of aquatics to
Fig. 41. — VIEW OF AQUATIC PLANTS IN CENTEAL PARK.
the already interesting collection of plants to be seen
there. This will, beyond doubt, give an impetus to their
cultivation, just as has been done in the Central Park,
CULTURE OF WATER LILIES, ETC. 125
New York, where tlie Water Lilies and other aquatics
growing in the ponds there have been such a source of
interest and pleasure to the tens of thousands of visi-
tors.— P. IL]
SOIL FOR GROWING AQUATIC PLANTS.
The best soil for growing all kinds of aquatic plants in
gardens, we have found to be good, rich loam, and the
best decayed stable or cow manure, in equal quantities.
Leaf mold or fine black peat can no doubt also be used
to advantage. Rich mud from the bed of a pond or
sluffofish stream will answer in place of the loam, but I
do not consider it essential. The compost should be
well mixed, placed in the tank, and covered with about
an inch of good, clean sand, to keep the manure from
rising ; then let in the water several days before putting
in the plants.
WATER LILIES IN TUBS AND CEMENT BASINS.
A good degree of success may be attained by planting
them in large tubs or half-barrels in the open air, either
on the surface or sunk in the ground. They should be
placed where they will receive the full benefit of the sun
for at least the greater portion of the day. If for the
whole day, so much the better. Fill them about half
full of the compost recommended for all aquatics. The
large growing kinds would do better in half -hogsheads
or in tierces sawed in two.
A very effective and inexpensive plan is to arrange the
tubs in connection with a rockery, a large tub in the
center being placed somewhat higher than the rest, and
connected by pieces of rubber hose, so that the overflow
from the large tub runs from one to the other, changing
the water in all. Oil barrels cut in two make excellent tubs.
The space around the tubs is filled with good rich com-
126
GAKDEKING FOR PLEASURE.
post, held in place by large stones, in which foliage and
flov/ering plants, such as Tuberous rooted Begonias,
Sedums, Caladiums, Palms, etc., are planted. The effect
produced in this manner is really beautiful. See fig. 42.
The next best arrangement for growing aquatics is to
build of bricks and hydraulic cement a basin two feet
deep and six feet in diameter, either round or square.
This can be sunk in the lawn in a sunny position, or on
the south side of a building or fence. If convenient,
provide means for emptying the tank from the bottom,
and a waste-pipe near the top for overflow, bo that fresh
Fig. 42.— VIEW OF WATER LILT BED.
water can be run in occasionally to prevent stagnation.
Such a tank would need to be well protected from severe
frost in winter. Aquatics may also be grown in the
basin of a fountain, but they will not flourish if the spray
is allowed to fall upon the leaves. Water enough to keep
that in the basin fresh may be allowed to run in, but no
more, as that would lower the temperature too much.
ENEMIES OF AQUATIC PLANTS.
The conditions which we recommend for successfully
growing tropical aquatics {i. e., still, warm water and
rich compost), favor the growth of a low form of vege-
CULTURE OF WATER LILIES, ETC. 127
table life called confervaB, or green scum, which becomes
very unsightly and troublesome unless eradicated. As
the result of several years' experience, we are quite posi-
tive that, if abundance of Gold-fish are kept in the tank
or pond, there will be no trouble in this direction. Other
kinds of fish which are vegetarian in habit might, per-
haps, answer as well, but the German Carp is not to be
recommended for tanks kept solely for the choicer varie-
ties of acquatics, on account of their propensity for root-
ing in the mud and feeding upon the fibrous roots which
proceed from the rhizomes of the Lilies. Should it be
determined to keep a few German Carp in the Lily Gar-
den, it will be necessary to place whole pieces of roofing-
shite or large pebbles on the soil around the crowns of
the tender Nymphseas.
Innumerable kinds of aquatic insects breed in the
water, and some of their larvae prey upon the leaves of
the Lilies, but the common water-snail is the greatest
enemy of aquatic plants. The Gold-fish assist very
materially in destroying these larvse and snails, but we
have found a complete preventive of injury to the foli-
age from this source by keeping in the tank, in addition
to the Gold-fish, some of the common spotted Sun-
fish. They are carnivorous in habit and very alert and
active. Moreover, it is impossible for mosquitoes to
breed in a Water Lily basin in which abundance of the
above-named fish, or those of similar habit, are kept.
Thus one objection to locating these tanks or ponds in
the vicinity of the dwelling-house is removed. Their
beautiful appearance, and the ease with which they may
be taught to feed from the hand (though it must not be
done too frequently), make them charming adjuncts to
the Water Garden. If the tank is two feet or more in
depth, they can be left in it all winter with perfect safety
in this latitude.
Sometimes, toward autumn, brown aphides, or plant
gs
CULTURE OF WATER LILIES, ETC, 129
lice, become troublesome on the Lily leaves. A some-
what new insecticide, which any one can prepare, has
proved effectual with us. It is called the kerosene emul-
sion, or kerosene butter, and is ^^repared as follows : Take
two parts of kerosene and one part of thick, sour milk ;
warm the latter (to blood heat only) ; put the two liquids
together, and agitate violently with a greenhouse syringe
or a force-pump. They will soon completely unite and
form a white, soapy mass. This kerosene butter mixes
readily with tepid water. One part of the butter should
be thoroughly mixed with fifteen parts of water, and ap-
plied to the infested leaves with a syringe. With us, one
application entirely destroyed the insects, without any in-
jury whatever to Xymphseas. A weaker solution of the
emulsion must be used on plants which are found to
be injured by the proportion above given. Experience
will be a guide in this matter. Very few applications of
the remedy will be needed during the season. Nelumbium
leaves are injured by the application of kerosene. To-
bacco water applied with a syringe, or tobacco dust shaken
on the leaves, is the best means for destroying aphides,
or plant lice, on these.
DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES.
The Victoria Regia. — This giant Water Lily of the
River Amazon is the grandest of all aquatics. See fig. 43.
That it may be successfully grown and flowered in the
open air in this latitude, we have proved beyond a doubt,
having done so for several seasons past. By this plan it
is treated as a tender annual. In winter or early spring
seeds are placed in water, kept uniformly at a tempera-
ture of from eighty to ninety degrees. After germinat-
ing they are potted and shifted on, as they require it.
Early in June a plant is placed in a bed of very rich soil
in a tank, fully exposed to the sun, and which can be
130 GARDEl^IJ^^G FOR PLEASURE.
artificially heated until hot weather sets in. It produces
leaves six feet across, one plant covering a space thirty
feet in diameter. The flowers are from twelve to sixteen
inches across. . The first night that they open they are
a lovely white, and emit a delicious perfume, resembling
that of pineapples, which is often perceptible some rods
distant. The second night the flowers have changed to
pink, and have lost their perfume. In the Southern
States it may be grown with complete success in open
ponds. The seeds cost fifty cents each, and plants about
ten dollars each.
Neio Crimson-flowered Victoria Regia. — Since the dis-
covery of the original species, many years ago, no new
variety has appeared until now. We had the honor of
successfully growing and flowering this novelty last sea-
son (1886), it being its first appearance in this country.
It differs from the original Victoria in the following par-
ticulars : The whole plant is of more robust habit, and
the young leaves of a darker bronzy color. In the old
variety the vertical rim of the leaf is seldom more than
three inches high. In the new one this vertical rim on
well-grown plants is five inches, and sometimes six inches
high, giving the plant a most striking and novel appear-
ance. Leaves are produced six to seven feet in diam-
eter. In the old variety the flowers are white on first
opening, changing on the second day to rosy pink.
In the new variety the flowers are also white the first
day, but on the second day they turn to a deep crim-
son color. The seeds of this wonderful plant cost one
dollar each.
Euryale Ferox. — This is the East Indian relative of the
Eoyal Water Lily, but not so gigantic in size. Its flowers
are of a deep reddish or violet color. The leaves, in
which the plant's chief beauty resides, are purple in color,
curiously wrinkled, and covered with long spines on both
sides. It is an annual.
CULTURE OF WATER LILIES, ETC. 131
NIGHT-BLOOMING WATER LILIES.
Unlike our wild JV. odorata, the following seven kinds
open their flowers at night, beginning about eight o'clock
and (excepting iY. ampla) remaining expanded until
about ten the next morning, each flower opening three
nights in succession. They stand on strong foot-stalks
ten or twelve inches above the surface of the water. If
given the right conditions as to soil, temperature, etc.,
they will begin to bloom in about forty days after being
put out, and continue to be constantly in bloom until
cold weather. They all require the same culture and
treatment. Their tubers are about the size of a hickory
nut or walnut, but make a most astonishing growth in a
single season. In spring they should be placed in small
pots with good loam or ordinary greenhouse potting soil,
and immersed in water kept at eighty degrees to start
them into growth. If you are satisfied to have flowers
from four to six inches in diameter, then, when warm
weather arrives, shift them into large earthen j^ans or
tubs, and place them out of doors, or keep them in a
greenhouse, according to the latitude in which you live.
If the finest specimens iire desired, then, as early in sum-
mer as the water becomes w^arm enough for bathing with
comfort, plant them out in a Water Lily tank, in large
beds or wooden boxes filled with the compost recommend-
ed for aquatics. In the autumn, around the old plant
may be found hard, nut-like tubers. These are the best
for wintering. The plants ripen and shed their leaves,
when they may be placed, several together, in a pot of
soil or clean sand, and the pots immersed in water kept
at a temperature o! about sixty degrees the entire winter.
Lower than this may do, but we have found this the
safest. Large flowering crowns are valueless for win-
tering over, being sure to decay. If you wish to grow
them in a pond with a bottom of natural earth, thcv
132
GARDEN^ING FOR PLEASURE.
must first be planted in large boxes or half-barrels filled
with the prepared compost, and sunk where the water is
two or three feet deep. In the Southern States this will
not be necessary, but do not put a dormant tuber at once
into deep water. Let it first get a good growth in a pot
placed in shallow water. The day-blooming tender
Xyraphaeas are managed in much the same w^ay as the
night-blooming ones, except that they do not increase by
suckers, and the old plants may be kept over from year
to year. Dormant tubers are easily sent by mail from
March to December.
Nymphcea Devonie?isis. — This is one of the choicest, if
not the very choicest, Water Lily in cultivation. Under
Fif^. 44.— NTMPH^A DEVONIENSIS.
the liberal treatment which we recommend for producing
the finest specimens, in one season a single plant will
cover a circle twenty feet across, with leaves twenty-five
inches in diameter, and flowers twelve inches from tip to
tip of petals. If confined in pans, tubs, or boxes, the
flowers are smaller, but otherwise just as fine. The
leaves are rich green, with serrated edges and occasional
brown blotches. No person can form an adequate idea
CULTURE 01- WATEK LILIES, ETC. 133
of the beauty of a red Water Lily until he has seen
one of these gorgeous blossoms. They are rosy red (with
scarlet stamens), glowing by lamplight with indescriba-
ble color. They are yet rare, and cost from two to three
dollars per tuber.
Nymphcea Sturtevcmti (new Semi-Double Red AVatcr
Lily). — This ^fr-ariety has foliage of a beautiful bronzy
color, sometimes almost crimson. Its flowers are very
large, having a greater number of petals than Nymphcea
Devoniensis, and a more graceful cup-shaped form than
that variety. They are of a beautiful, rosy red color.
This is a very choice variety, but not so free flowering as
the others.
Nymphcea Rubra. — This magnificent species is a na-
tive of India, and one of the parents of iV". Devoniensis.
The picture of the latter gives a good idea of N. rulra,
except that the flowers are a little more cup-shaped, and
their petals somewhat broader. Their color is also a
brilliant red, sometimes of a deeper shade than N. Be-
voniensis, and both foliage and flowers attain nearly the
same size as that variety if given the same treatment.
The foliage is quite distinct, being of a rich brown color,
turning, when old, to gold and crimson, like autumn
leaves.
Nymphcea Denfafa.— This species is a native of Sierra
Leone, and has white flowers with petals expanding
horizontally, making them star-shaped. They have an
agreeable odor, but not as sweet as our native Lily. The
leaves are rich green, with serrated edges. AVith ordi-
nary culture, flowers will be produced six or seven inches
across; but give them plenty of room and rich soil, and
both foliage and flowers will be as large as those of N.
Devonieiisis.
Nymphcea Lotus. — This is supposed to be the typical
species of the class of AVater Lilies such as N. dentata,
134 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
JV^. Devoniensis, etc. It has large and beautiful pure
white flowers with broad petals, and is far superior to
Nymphma dentata.
Nymplma Ampla. — A tropical species, with sulphur-
white flowers, about six inches across, and strongly
scented like the odor of bananas. They open only at
night. #
DAT-BLOOMIXG WATER LILIES, AND OTHER TEXDER
AQUATICS.
Nymplma Scutifolia (coerulea or cyansea). — The Lilies
cultivated under these names are of a beautiful shade
of lavender blue (not a deep blue), about three or four
inches across ; but when the plant is given abundance
of room and rich soil, the flowers will be much larger
and of a decidedly deeper tint. They are very fra-
grant, the perfume being entirely distinct from that of
Nymplma odorata. It may be successfully grown in a
natural pond, where the water is still and the mud rich.
Probably hardy in the South. Winter temperature, fifty
to sixty degrees.
Nymplma Zanziharensis (the Royal Purple Water
Lily). — This new species, from Africa, was first flowered
in this country in the summer of 1882 ; and in Sep-
tember, 1883, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
awarded it their Silver Medal. It is, unquestionably, the
deepest colored and finest of all blue Water Lilies known,
and some European horticulturists declare it to be the
finest of the whole family. It is of a shade of blue so deep
that it is not unreasonably called purple. Some parts of
the flower are of the color of Lasiaiidra macrantlia (a
greenhouse plant). It has the same fragrance as N.
ccerulea, and, even when grown in small tubs or pans,
produces larger flowers than that variety. Under the
treatment given it in the Water Lily garden, they attain
CULTURE OF WATER LILTES, ETC. 135
a diameter of twelve inches, and the leaves a diameter of
two feet. It blooms coustautly until frosty weather, and
requires the same culture and treatment as other blue
Lilies.
Nymphcea Zcmziharcnsis Aznrea. — Strong flowering
bulbs of this variety, raised from seed of the true JV. Zan-
zibarensis, are like the species in every respect, except
that the color of the flowers is a shade lighter, being of
the richest deep azure blue, far surpassing K. coerulea or
any other blue Lily except the true N. Zanziharensis.
Nym])li(Ba Zanziharensis Rosea. — This is like N. Zan-
zidarensis in every respect, except that the flowers are of
a deep rosy pink color.
Limnocliaris Humholdiii (the Water Poppy). — A
charming and easily cultivated plant, with oval floating
leaves and flowers of a bright lemon color with black
stamens. The flowers stand a few inches out of water,
and are produced freely during the entire season. Easily
grown in a tub, but better still in the AVater Lily garden,
planted in a box or a tub, which must be elevated so that
the plants may grow in shallow water. Wintered in the
greenhouse.
Limnocliaris Plumieri. — An erect-growing plant,
standing one to two feet out of the water, with ellip-
tical leaves four to six inches long, and of a rich velvety
green. Flowers straw color.
Sagittaria Montevidiensis. — Tliis new plant has re-
cently been introduced into this country. It is a giant
compared with our native Arrowheads, which it resembles
in the form of its foliage and flowers. It growls to a
hight of four feet, with leaves fifteen inches long. The
flowers are produced abundantly on spikes three feet high,
each bloom being two inches across, pure white, with a
purple spot at the base of each petal. It should be win-
tered in the warmest greenhouse.
136 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
Pontederia Crassi2)es Major. — The typical P. eras-
sipes seldom produces flowers under cultivation; but this
variety blooms very freely when grown in water about
three inches deep, allowing the lower ends of the roots to
enter the soil. The blossoms are of a beautiful lilac
rose color, each two inches across, and produced in large
upright spikes or trusses like a Hyacinth.
Ouvirandra Fenestralis (the Lattice-Leaf Plant). —
Though by no means a new plant, it is extremely rare in
this country. The following description is from ''Stove
and Greenhouse Plants,"' by B. S. Williams : ''It is pop-
ularly known as the Lace-Leaf or Lattice-Leaf, and is
one of the most singular plants in existence. The leaves
are from six to eighteen inches in length, and from two
to four inches in breadth ; oblong, with an obtuse apex,
and spieading out horizontally beneath the surface of the
water. Thev are of a dark olive ^reen color, and consist
of a strong midrib and veins that would be called the
primary nerves of an ordinary leaf, and thus present the
appearance of a beautiful piece of net-work, or of a skel-
etonized leaf ; indeed, it is a veritable living skeleton.
The flowers are inconspicuous." Xative of Madagascar.
It should be grown in a pan filled with a mixture of good
loam and leaf mold or fine peat. The pan should be
placed in a tub of water, and great care taken to keep
the water sweet and the leaves of the plant clean. It is
generally kept in the greenhouse in summer, but in this
latitude we have found it to do well in the open air. It
may be wintered in an ordinary greenhouse temperature.
It is a scarce plant, and will always cost from three to five
dollars each.
Myriojjliyllum Proserpinacoides. — This is grown on
account of the exquisite beauty of its foliage. It prefers
shallow water, sending its stems creeping along on the
surface, forming a mass of lovely soft green color. The
leaves are arranged in whorls along the stem, and are as
OULTUfiE OF WATEE LILIES, ETC. 187
finely divided as the most delicate fern. The ends of
these creeping stems stand erect, forming beautiful tufts
or tassels. The plant may be hardy, but is better kept
in a pan or tub placed in a cool greenhouse, where it
forms a very pretty object in winter. It might also be
grown in a water-tight hanging basket.
Ceratopteris Tlialictroides (the Water Fern). — This is
an extremely curious and interesting Fern, growing with
its roots entirely submerged in water, either in a pot or
planted out in a shallow place in the Water Lily basin.
The fronds are from one to three feet high, and beauti-
fully forked. The finest ones are produced on plants
kept in a little shade. It is sometimes called the "Float-
ing Stag's Horn Fern. " It must be wintered in a
warm greenhouse.
Hedychium Acuminatum (the Garland Flower). —
Hedychiums belong to the family of the Ginger plant.
This species grows from four to six feet high, each flower
spike producing, for several weeks in succession, lovely
snow-white blossoms, over two inches across, resembling
an Orchid in form, and deliciously scented. It may be
grown as a semi-aquatic by planting it in a tub, and
placing it where the soil will be kept wet, but the
crowns must not be immersed. If kept warm enough it
will flower the whole year round.
Carina Ehemani. — This is the most magnificent Canna
ever introduced. It grows to a hight of five or six feet,
with large, green, banana-like foliage, and the flowers
are marvelous in size, being as large as a Gladiolus
bloom. They are of a rich, crimson scarlet color, and
hang pendant in clusters from the top of the plant.
Each stalk produces a succession of these clusters, one
after another, for a long time. This Canna may be
treated as a semi-aquatic by planting it in a large tub,
although it is usually grown as the ordinary garden Cauna.
138 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
Rirhardia ^thiojnca (''The Calla/*' or ''Lily of the
^ile"). — This old and favorite plant can be made a
charming feature among the Water Lilies. The only
way we know for making it bloom m summer is to
keep the bulbs entirely dry and dormant during autumn
and winter. They can then be potted and grown as an
aquatic during summer.
Papyrus A72tiquorum.— This is the true Egyptian
Paper Plant. From the snow-white pith of its triangu-
lar stalks the first paper was made. It grows five or six
feet high, and supports at the top a tufi of long, thread-
like leaves, which give the plant a graceful and striking
appearance. It grows finely in shallow water, with rich
soil or mud, and makes a splendid companion for flower-
ing aquatics. It will also flourish and make a fine clump
in the garden in ordinary soil.
Cijperus AUernifolhcs.— This also will grow with its
roots submerged in water, its reedy stems, with tufted
heads, resembling miniature Palm trees.
Cyperus Strictus.— This is like C. alternifolius, but
stiffer in outline. It grows to the hight of six or seven
feet, in rich soil and shallow water, and should be win-
tered in the greenhouse.
FLOATING PLANTS.
Pistia Stratiotes.—k very curious plant, which floats
upon the water, with its long, fibrous roots extending
downwards, but having no connection with the soil. It
forms a rosette of light green, velvety leaves, about six
inches across ; likes plenty of heat, and must be shaded
from the direct rays of the sun. It does finely in a tub of
water, placed in a vinery or greenhouse, in summer, or
in the open air, under a tree. It is sometimes called the
Water Lettuce.
CULTURE OF WATER LILIES, ETC. 139
Pontederia Crassijyes. — This is an extremely interest-
ing plant, which floats upon the surface of the water
like Water Lettuce. Each crown produces neat rosettes
of leaves, the stems of which are enlarged in the middle
into curious oval bulbs filled with air cells, which enable
the whole plant to swim. It should be wintered in a
warm greenhouse.
Salvinia Braziliensis. — A very pretty floating plant
something like our native '* Duck-meat," but very much
larger. Its leaves have a delicate hairy surface. Tender.
TriancBa Bogotensis. — A floating plant, with tliick,
spongy leaves, from one-half to one inch in diameter.
Very curious, but tender.
Azolla Caroliniana (Floating Moss). — A floating plant
which produces no flowers, but is exceedingly interesting
on account of the delicacy and beauty of its foliage,
which resembles a lovely green moss or Selaginelln. A
small plant placed in a pan of water soon covers the
whole surface, and presents an appearance something
like a pan of ^^Selaginella densa.'' If grown out of
doors, in full sunshine, the plant assumes a reddish
color. It is entirely hardy.
PITCHER PLANTS.
As these are water-loving plants, we have thought best
to introduce them here. Sarracenia imrj^urea is per-
fectly hardy. S. jlava and S. variolaris have stood the
winter in the latitude of New Jersey, naturalized in a
peat bog. The most of this class, however, are best
grown in pots of fine peaty soil, surfaced with live sphag-
num, and kept standing in a pan of water in the green-
house.
Sarracenia Drumjnondii Alba. — The pitchers of this
are two feet high, slender at the base and widening at
140 GARDEXIXG FOK PLEASL'KE.
the top like an ordinary tin horn. Thej are of a fine
green, except that towards the top they become pure
white, netted with crimson veins. The flowers are crim-
son. This is the most beautiful of the family.
Sarracenia Flava (Trumpets). — This is the largest of
all, producing, in its native swamp, handsome green,
trumpet-like pitchers, often three feet high. Flowers
large, yellow.
Sarracenia Purpurea. — This hardy northern species is
not unworthy of a place in any collection. By giving it
peaty soil and moss, it may be naturalized on the margin
of a pond or stream. Flowers purple.
Sarracenia Variolaris. — Pitchers from twelve to eigh-
teen inches high, very curiously hooded at the top, these
hoods being spotted with white. Flowers yellow.
Sarracenia Rubra. — A small growing species, with
slender, trumpet-shaped leaves of a reddish color. Very
neat when grown several together in a pot. Flowers
crimson purple.
Darlingtonia Californica (the California Pitcher
Plant). — This has the most curiously-formed pitchers of
any of the tribe. They grow to the hight of from fifteen
inches to two and a half feet, and have some resemblance
to those of the Sarracenias, but differ from them in hav-
ing the upper part arch over, like an inflated hood, and
having a large triangular appendage hanging loosely from
it. They are beautifully mottled with white and veined
with red. Flowers straw-color and pale purple.
Dio?icea Muscipnia (Venus's Fly-trap). — A most won-
derful little plant, called ^^Venus's Fly-trap." It has
strange, trap-like arrangements at the ends of the leaves,
which, owing to the hair-like, sensitive organs on the
inner surface, will close instantly when touched by an
insect or any light substance. It is grown like the
Pitcher Plants.
CULTURE OF WATER LILIES, ETC. 141
Drosera Filiformis and D. Rotundifolia. — Rare, curi-
ous, and hardy little bog plants, with pretty lilac and
white flowers.
[Some of the Pitcher Plants, together with the Drosera
and Dionma, are the plants claimed by Darwin as " insect-
eating plants," and on which he wrote a large volume to
prove that these plants caught and absorbed insects as
food. His belief has been severely questioned, and at
present writing the discussion is far from being settled.
My own experiments, which have been very elaborate,
have all gone to prove that Mr. Darwin's theory is an
error. — P. H.]
HARDY AQUxVTICS.
The roots of the native American Water Lily will not
endure actual freezing, but still it is commonly called
hardy. When we speak of an aquatic as being hardy, we
do not mean that it is so in the same sense that Pceonias
are, but that it will endure the winter when placed in
the water below the reach of frost.
The best time to PLAJiTT. — The hardy Nymphaeas and
Nelumbiums should invariably be planted during spring
and early summer. It may be done up to the first of
August, but never in the fall, if it can be avoided.
Nymphcea Odoraia. — The praises of our fragrant na-
tive Water Lily can never be too highly sung. Its lovely
white flowers are worthy of a place beside the most costly
exotics. It can be successfully growm in a tub, and
wintered in a cellar. It does well in one of the beds in
the Lily tank, but a more satisfactory way than either is
to naturalize it in a pond or slow-running stream. Do
not tie a stone to it and sink it, as many recommend,
but pusli it carefully into the mud with the hands or
feet. Where the mud is very rich, it will produce flow-
ers six inches and leaves thirteen inches across.
143 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
liymphcea Odorata Mmor. — A variety of our native
Water Lily, possessing the same qualities of hardiness
and fragrance, but producing flowers only one and a half
or two inches across. Color, white, tinted with pink on
the outside.
Nymphcea Odorata Rosea (Cape Cod Water Lily). —
This is the famous Pink Water Lily of Cape Cod, and is
the grandest acquisition ever made to our list of hardy
IS^ymphaeas. It possesses all the desirable qualities of
the white-flowered species, hardiness, freedom of bloom,
and delicious fragrance, with the added charm of a deep
pink color, a shade somewhat like the Eose called "Her-
mosa." The flowers average a larger size than the white,
and are in great demand in the large cities and at water-
ing-places during their season. We unhesitatingly pro-
nounce this the most lovely and desirable of all the hardy
Water Lilies. It is yet scarce, roots costing from three to
five dollars each ; but as it becomes more grown it will
be sold much lower.
Kymjylicea Tuber osa. — This is quite distinct from N.
odorata, having flowers from four to seven inches in
diameter, pure white, with a faint odor like that of ripe
apples. The petals are broader and less pointed than
those of N. odorata. The leaves are sometimes fifteen
inches wide.
NyrtiphcBa Alia. — The native Water Lily of Eng-
land, possessing the same early and late blooming
qualities as N. candidissima, but with smaller flowers.
Nymphma Alba v. Candidissima. — This is a large-flow-
ered variety of the Water Lily of England and other
parts of Europe. Though not a troj^ical species, it does
not object to a warm climate, and does finely under the
same conditions as the tender ones. When naturalized
in still water, with a very rich soil, it will produce leaves
thirteen inches wide and flowers six inches in diameter.
CULTURE OF WATER LILIES, ETC. 143
The latter are pure white, the petals being very broad
and much more waxy than those of X. odorata. It be-
gins to flower earlier than that species, and continues in
bloom for a much longer time. It is a great favorite.
Kymphcea Alba v. Rosea {X. alba v. sj)h(erocarpa rosea).
— A variety which was first discovered in Sweden, and
has received great praise in Europe. It is like N. alba,
except that the flowers are deep pink, shaded to lighter
pink at the edge. Still rare and very costly.
Xymj^hcea Flava (the Yellow Water Lily). — A charm-
ing addition to any collection, having leaves variegated
with brown, and flowers nearly as large as those of N.
odorata. They are of a bright golden yellow color, and
dehciously scented, something like Locust-tree blossoms,
but more delicate. Perfectly hardy at the Korth, but
should have a warm position in summer.
Kymphcea Pygmcea (the Dwarf Chinese Water Lily).
A little gem, producing leaves from two to three inches
across, and delicionsly scented white flowers no larger
than a silver half dollar, which open at noon and close at
sunset. It has the additional merit of being hardy.
Nelumbium Sjjcciosuni (Egyptian Lotus). — This was
cultivated in Egypt in most ancient times, Avhere its seed
was known as the "Sacred Bean." It is the "Sacred Lo-
tus " of India and China, and is also cultivated in Japan.
This wonderful plant, though coming from such tropical
and semi-tropical regions, has proved to be entirely hardy
in this country, enduring any degree of cold short of act-
ual freezing. I have for many winters kept it in water,
upon the surface of which ice formed from four to eight
inches thick. Xo aquatic plants have a more tropical as-
pect than the Xelumbium. It has been naturalized in one
corner of a mill-pond at Bordentown, N. J., where "^.he
mud is very rich, and where, in summer, could have been
seen, among abundance of noble leaves from one to two
114 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
feet in diameter, a hundred buds in all stages of develop-
ment, aiid one hundred expanded flowers at one time. X.
luteum is a beautiful plant, and well worthy of a place in
any collection, but iV". speciosiim far surpasses it in ease
of culture, rapidity of growth, and freedom of bloom. It
will flower the first season it is planted, which is seldom
the case with X, luteum, and is constantly in bloom from
July till late in October. In the '' Water Lily Garden,"
N. speriosum has produced some leaves thirty inches
across, on foot-stalks five and six feet in length, and
flower-stalks of a total length of from five to seven feet.
The first day the flowers appear like gigantic Tea Rose
buds, of a bright rose color. The second day they open
like a Tulip, the base of the petals being creamy white,
most beautifully and delicately shaded off toward the
end into bright pink. In their last stages of expansion
they measure from ten to thirteen inches from tip to tip
of petals. They are also delightfully fragrant. The
plant is of a rambling nature, and spreads rapidly when
placed in a pond. If grown in a Lily tank, along with a
general collection, it should be planted in the separate
compartments specially arranged for it. It may be
grown in a large tub, but better in basins such as I
have described. It should not be planted till the grow-
ing season has fully arrived. (See fig. 41). The tubers
cost from two to four dollars each, according to size.
Xelumhium Luteum (American Lotus). — Though a
native of this country, it is not common. There is
scarcely any difference between this and X. speciosum,
except in Ibe color of the flowers, which are of a rich
sulphur yellow. They are as large as a quart bowl,
and have a strong fragrance, entirely unlike that of a
Nymphsea. Still, warm water and very rich soil are the
conditions for success with these noble plants. A large
patch of them, with hundreds of flowers and buds, is a
eight never to be forgotten.
CULTURE OF WATER LILIES, ETC. 145
New Japanese Xelumliums. — Their habit and general
appearance are the same as N. speciosum, but some have
larger and bolder flowers, of a more globular form,
and distinct fragrance. They are also hardy, like the
others. Neluinhium nuciferum album striatum. — The
flowers are white, with the edge of each petal irregularly
marked and splashed with crimson. A magnificent and
distinct variety. Nelumhium nuciferum roseum. — This
grand new Japanese variety has flowers of a uniform
deep rosy pink color, something like Nymplicea Devo-
nietisis or the Cape Cod Lily, and much darker than
jV". speciosum. One of the finest yet introduced. Ne-
lumMum nuciferum album (AVhite Lotus). — I have
been lavish in praise of the pink Lotus {^N. speciosum),
and have nothing to retract. Here we have an exceed-
ingly beautiful white variety without a tinge of pink
color. The stamens are yellow, and the receptacle
shaded green and yellow, forming a novel combination of
colors. It is at present the rarest variety now in cultiva-
tion in this country, and is still costly.
Japanese Nelumbium Seeds. — Nelumbiiim nuciferum
(mixed varieties). Those who wisli to have Lotus flow-
ers the first season will, of course, plant tubers ; but for
those who are willing to wait a year or two for bloom,
seeds can be used. Each nut should have a hole the size
of a pin drilled in its shell with the point of a penknife,
or by using a file, to allow the moisture to penetrate the
kernel, or otherwise it will not germinate. The nuts
should then be planted in warm Avater in a greenhouse,
or, if it is desired to plant them in a pond, it should not
be done until warm weather, and then in water about one
foot deep. They may be either dropped in the water and
allowed to sink, or pressed into the- soil two or three
inches. The seeds cost about one dollar per dozen.
Limnanthemum Nymplimoides (Villarsia). — This Euro-
pean relative of our American Floating Heart is perfectly
146 GAKDEXING FOR PLEASURE.
hardy. Its Xymph^ea-like leaves are Tariegated with
brown. The flowers, which are freely produced, are
about an inch across, of a golden yellow color, beautifully
fringed, and stand erect like the Water Poppies. Should
be grown in shallow water.
Limnanfhemum Lacunosum (Floating Heart). — A na-
tive species, which at first sight appears to be a miniature
Water Lily. Its leaves are from one to two inches in
diameter, beautifully blotched w^ith brown, giving them
an appearance similar to those of the Cyclamen. The
flowers are white, about half an inch across, and very
curiously borne upon the same stem which bears the
leaves. The plant blooms freely all summer, and will
grow in either shallow or deep water, and would make a
charming plant for the aquarium.
Apo)iogeton DistacJiyon—K highly interesting tuberous-
rooted water plant, which seems to like a long period of
rest. It may be entirely dried off in May and kept dor-
mant until fall, when it should be replanted in good soil,
in a tub or large pan. It may then be placed in a green-
house, where it will flower profusely all winter. It is
hardy if planted in a pond. Its leaves are oblong, about
six inches by two. The pearly-white flowers, with black
anthers, are produced in curious fork-shaped spikes, and
are deliciously scented.
Trapa Natans (the Water Chestnut). — This is a
hardy annual aquatic, bearing, from the midst of a
rosette of green leaves, small white flowers, which are
followed by good-sized nuts with several sharp thorns.
These nuts are edible, and taste something like a cocoa-
nut. After once being planted in a pond it will repro-
duce itself from year to year.
JuncHS Taleryicemontana, usually known as J. Ze-
brinus (the Porcupine Plant).— This is a true rush,
growing from one and a half to three feet high, produc-
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 147
ing leaves variegated in exactly the same manner as a
porcupine quill, with alternate bands of green and pure
white. It may be grown either as an aquatic or as a gar-
den plant, but should never be grown with the crowns
of the plant under water, for then the leaves lose much
of their variegation. Perfectly hardy.
Sagittaria Sagittifolia Fl. PI. (Double Flowered Ar-
row-Head). — The foliage of this plant is similar to our
native species, but the flowers are an immense improve-
ment, making it one of the most charming additions to
any collection of aquatics. The flowers are borne on
spikes two feet high ; are as large, full, and double as
the finest Carnation or double Balsam, and as white as
the driven snow. Perfectly hardy.
Sagittaria Variahilis (the Arrow-Head). — A native
plant suitable for shallow water, growing about two
feet high, bearing arrow-shaped leaves and pearly-white
flowers.
Pontederia Cordata. — Another interesting plant for
shallow water, with heart-shaped leaves and spikes of
blue flowers, produced all summer.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE CHRYSANTHE.AIUM.
Next to the Rose, no plant is now so popular as the
Clnysanthemum. It is only some ten or twelve years
since, in Lhis country, its great value as an ornamental
plant for the fall and early winter months has been fully
realized, although it has been long valued in Europe,
where it forms the great attraction in all the floral exhi-
bitions of autumn. The first great Chrysanthemum
Show was given m X'ew York some five years ago, and
148 GARDEKIXG rOR PLEASURE.
since then, every November, Philadelphia, Boston, and
other large cities have vied with New York in getting up
these exhibitions, which have attracted tens of thousands
of visitors. The fashion is now spreading into the
smaller cities and towns, so that the day is not far dis-
tant when this most beautiful of all autumn flowers will
be found in every hamlet on the continent, whose occu-
pants have any taste for flowers.
It is the floral emblem of Japan, just as the Thistle is
of Scotland or the Fleur de Luce of France, and there is
hardly a home in that flowery land so poor that it is not
ornamented with one or more varieties of the " Autumn
Queen." In the gardens of the Mikado, which contain
marvelous varieties of this plant, they are trained on
wire frames to represent animals of all descriptions.
White elephants, yellow cows, and crimson dogs are by
no means rarities in the grounds of the ^Mikado. The
Chrysanthemum, too, is put to another use in Japan.
When a rural swain makes up his mind to sue for the
hand of some rustic belle, his first advance is to place on
her doorstep as fine a specimen of a Chr^^santhemum as
he can procure. If it is watered, tended, and cared for,
he knows he may ^'call again;" but if neglected, and
allowed to wither and die, so dies out the hope of the
unfortunate '^ Jap," so far as that particular damsel is
concerned.
The cultivation of the Chrysanthemum is exceed-
ingly simple. If the plants are wanted to flower
only in the open ground, all that is necessary is
to plant them in the open border in any good ground,
well enriched with manure. If possible, plant them in a
warm, sheltered spot, particularly in any section north
of Baltimore ; for, being the latest of all flowers of au-
tumn, a better development will be had- if they are
planted in a place sheltered by a fence, hill, or shrubbery.
As they are all sold grown in pots, they can be planted
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 149
out any time from April to July, though preference may
be given to May. They form an average width by Oc-
tober of two feet in diameter, if the tops are pinched off
so as to make them bushy. They should be set out about
two feet apart each w^ay. The "topping" or "pincli-
ing " back, as it is called, should not be done later than
the first of August ; for, if much later, it might destroy
the flowering to some extent.
House Culture. — When wanted to be grown for green-
house or house culture, the best plan for amateurs is to
put each plant, when received, in a flower pot six, seven,
or eight inches wide and deep. Plunge these pots to the
rims in the open ground, level with the soil, treating
them exactly the same as recommended for planting in
the open ])order, by pinching, etc. Care should, however,
be taken to turn the flower pots round every eight or ten
days, so as to prevent the roots from getting through
the bottom of the pot, the object being to confine all the
roots within the pot. This same plan is the best for
amateurs wdio cultivate any kind of plant to grow in the
house or greenhouse in winter. Although the Chrysan-
themum is entirely hardy, so that even the flower buds
will stand quite a freeze without injury, yet, to get the
best effect from the plants designed for house culture,
they should be taken indoors by October 1st.
How to Grow for Spring Flowering. — Although the
Chrysanthemum is generally only grown for the fall and
early winter months, yet, by taking the first young shoots
that start from the root of the old plants which are flow-
ering in the fall (say by the middle of November), and
placing them in the propagating bed, they will root in a
few days. If grown on in the ordinary greenhouse tem-
perature during winter, shifting them into larger pots as
their necessities require, by April they make fine flower-
ing plants. The past season we grew a few hundred in
this manner, that made grand plants for church decora-
150
GARDENIXG FOR PLEASURE.
tion at; Easter, on the 10th of April. They were grown
in six-inch pots, and averaged fifteen expanded flowers to
a plant.
The large Chrysanthemum flowers which are seen at
the exhibitions are obtained by pinching off all the buds
Fig. 45. — CHRTSA^"TIIEMUM MRS. BRETT.
but one on each shoot, just as soon as the buds can be
senn. This is called '* disbudding." In this way, many
kinds of Chrysanthemum flowers can be obtained six
inches in diameter. This is the method used to obtain
THE CHRYSA.NTHEMUM. 151
all the fine flowers seen at the exhibitions. It is deceiv-
ing, howeyrer, to those unacquainted with the plan, be-
cause a flower so obtained, six or seven inches in diam-
eter, if grown w^ith half a dozen flowers on the same
shoot, would not be half the size. Hence amateurs, who
have selected special kinds from the cut-flower tables at
exhibitions, must not be disappointed at finding them
half the size when they flower, unless they use the same
process of disbudding to obtain large flowers.
I give here a list of varieties, such as are esteemed the
best at the date at which this is written (1887), though it
is likely that in ten years some of them will be superseded
by better kinds ; but a list is necessary to show to our
amateur readers the range of color and style embraced
by the Chrysanthemum.
Early Varieties.— Kiihowgh all of the Chrysanthe-
mums are early enough to perfect their flowers in the
open ground south of Baltimore, yet, in the vicinity of
New York and further north, many of the late kinds
sometimes do not ; hence we name this early colledion
for the benefit of residents of extreme Northern States.
Bouquet Nationale, fine large double flower ; pure white,
with lemon center. Bouquet Fait, delicate rosy lilac,
shaded silvery white. Elaine, beautiful waxy white ;
perfect form ; extra fine. Red Dragon, dark yellow,
streaked bronze and crimson. Gloriosum, bright sul-
phur yellow ; very free flowering. Geo. Glenny, a fine
old early yellow, incurved. J. Collins, salmon maroon,
shaded bronze. 3Irs. Brett (figure 45), sulphur yel-
low, forming a complete ball. M. Lemoine, dark yellow,
streaked bronze and crimson. Mad. Grame, pure white ;
fine incurved flower. 3Irs. S. Lyon, large single white,
golden center. So7ice d'Or, intense yellow, shaded old
gold.
Late or "C/^ns/fwa5."— Under this heading we name the
very latest flowering varieties ; such kinds as perfect their
152
GARDENIXG FOR PLEASURE.
flowers in the house about the '^'^ holiday "* season. Most
of these kiuds would be too late in flowering for any sec-
tion north of Baltimore in the open air, but would
bloom freely out of doors south, some of the kinds lasting
up to Christmas. Bend d' Or, pure golden yellow. As
V^v' 'm n'
7
Fig. 46. — CHRYSANTHEMUM CULLTNGFORDI.
the flowers mature, the petals lap over, forming ribbon-
like bells. CuUingfordi (figure 46), crimson, shaded ma-
roon. Count of Germany, bronze and old gold. Christ-
mas Eve, pure snow white. Fantasie, j^ink, shading to
PARLOK GARDENING. 153
white. Fair Maid of Guernsey, clear dazzling white ;
immense ball-like flowers. Golden Dragon, very large ;
dark golden yellow ; broad, heavy petals. Jupiter, brill-
iant reddish crimson. James Salter, clear light yellow;
beautifully incurved as the flower opens. Lord Byron,
dark, rich crimson, shaded old gold. Lady Slade, deli-
cate purple pink ; beautifully incurved. Mrs. C. L. Al-
len, carmine, yellow center. Moonlight, immense size ;
beautiful lemon white. Mrs. C. H. Wheeler, upper part
of petals deep yellow, under vermilion. Maid of Athens,
very large ; pure snow white. Talford Salter, dwarf,
compact grower ; rich crimson, streaked golden bronze.
Yelloiu Eagle, very large ; dark golden yellow ; ribbon-
like petals.
CHAPTER XXV.
PARLOR GARDENING, OR THE CULTIVATION OF
PLANTS IN ROOMS.
Parlor Gardening has, to some extent, been treated
of under the head of '^^Winter-Flowering Plants," but a
few additional general directions for plants not specially
designed for winter flowering may be acceptable. One
of the conditions essential to success is to start with
healthy plants. Even all the professional skill of the
florist, with all his appliances, will often fail to get a
sickly plant into a healthy condition. What, then, can
the amateur florist expect to do in the often unequal
temperatui-e and dry atmosphere of a sitting-room or
parlor ? If the plants are purchased from the florist in
autumn, to grow in the house, they are likely to be
healthy, and are usually in a condition to shift into a pot
one size larger ; instructions for doing which are given in
the chapter on '* Winter-Flowering Plants." But if the
154 GARDEVIXG FOR PLEASURE.
plants to be ciiltiyated in the house are such as have been
growing in your own flower borders, plants that were set
out in spring, and have now the full summer's luxuriant
growth still on them, then jj roper precaution m.ust be
taken in lifting them and placing them in pots, or the
result is certain to be most unsatisfactory. What may
seem to the novice a little singular is, that the more
luxuriant the growth of the plant in the open border,
the more danger there is that it will wilt or die when
lifted in the fall, and placed in a pot. The reason of
this is obvious, when it is known that just in proportion
to the top growth of a plant is the wide-spread develop-
ment of roots, and, therefore, wdien you lift a finely-
grown Geranium or Eose in October, it is next to impos-
sible, if it is to be got into a suitable sized flower pot, to
do so without such mutilation of the young roots as will
certainly kill it, if precaution is not taken to cut off at
least two-thirds of its branches. If the plant is thus
potted, and kept as dry as it will stand, without actually
withering, until it starts into growth, you may hope to
have a fairly healthy sjDecimeu by December, if the lifting
w^as done iu October. But this practice, though often
one of necessity, is never satisfactory. If the j^lants that
liave done service in the borders in summer are to be
used as ornaments for the parlor in fall, winter, and
spring, they must have a different treatment.
All plants that are intended for future culture in
rooms should be potted in the usual way, in five or six-
inch pots, when set out in May or June. These pots
should be set in the flower borders, but planted or
'^plunged," as it is called, so that the rim of the pot
is level with the surface of the ground. The plants will
flower in these pots, if so desired, nearly as well as if set
directly in the open ground ; but if wanted for flowering
in winter, they will bloom much better to have the flower
buds picked off as fall approaches. It is also indispensa-
PARLOR GARDENTXG. 155
bly necessary that tlie hole in the bottom of the pot be
entirely stopped, so that the roots cannot get through
wliile growing in the open border in summer. The
object is to confine tlie root,3 completely within the
bounds of the pot, so that, when taken up in the fall to
be shifted into a larger pot, the roots will be undisturbed,
and the plant will grow on uncliecked. If this is not
done, and the roots find their way through the bottom
of the pot, there will be the same difficulty with the roots
as if they had not been potted. About the best time to
take plants in-doors in this latitude is the middle of
October ; in colder localities, earlier, of course, and in
warmer, later ; always bearing in mind that the longer
they can be kept in the open air, provided they are safe
from frost, the better. Plants suited for parlor culture,
requiring a temperature of from fort3'-fivc to fifty-five
degrees at night, with an average of ten to twenty de-
grees higher during the day, are as follows. These are
known as greenhouse plants. For descriptions see cata-
logues of florists and nurserymen.
•""Abutilons. Holland Bulbs of all kinds.
Acacias. Hoyas (Wax Plant ).
*Agapantlms. Ivies, parlor and hardy.
Ageratums. Jessamines, Cape.
Anthemis. ^Jessamines, Catalonian.
Asparagus, Climbing. Lily of the Valley.
Azaleas. Lobelias.
Calceolarias. *Mahernias.
*Callas. ^Marguerites, white and ycllov/.
Camellias. *Mesembryautheraums (Wax Pink).
*Caniations. Mimulus (Musk).
Chorizema. *Myrsiphyllum or Smilax.
Chrysanthemums. Oleanders.
Cinerarias. Oranges.
Cupheas. Oxalis.
Cyclamens. Petunias.
Daphnes. ^Primulas, double and single.
*Fems, Climbing. *Roses.
Feverfews. Stevia.
^Fuchsias. Vincas.
Geraniums (Pelargoniums), Violets.
156
GAEDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
What are known as hothouse or tropical plants re-
quire a higher temperature than the precedino:, and can-
not be well grown unless with a night temperature of
from sixty to seventy degrees, and a day temjierature
of from ten to fifteen degrees higher. The following, of
most of which there are several varieties, can be found
described in the catalosrues of dealers
Allamandas.
Allocasias.
Begonias.
Bouvardias.
Caladiums.
Cissus.
Clerodendi'ons.
Coba?as.
Coleus.
Crotous.
Dracaenas.
Epiphyllums (Cactus).
Eranthemums.
Euphorbias.
Ferns, tropical.
Heliotropes.
Hibiscus.
Impatiens.
Marantas.
Orchids (of all kinds).
Passifloras.
Peperoinias.
Poinsettia.
Salvias.
Sanchezias.
Torenias.
Tropseolums.
Tuberoses.
This matter of temperature has everything to do with
the successful cultivation of plants in rooms, or, in fact,
anywhere. If you attempt, for example, to grow Bou-
vardias or Begonias in an average temperature of forty-
five degrees at night, the plants will barely live, and will
not flower, nor be healthy. On the other hand, if you
subject your Camellias or Geraniums to an average of
sixty-five degrees at night by fire heat in winter, you are
almost certain to have the flowers drop prematurely. As
a rule, there are more of the plants knoAvn as greenhouse
that will endure the high temperature necessary for the
hothouse plants, than there are of the hothouse plants
that can stanii the low temperature, so that, when no
distinction can be made, and a high temperature only
can be had, all in the list of greenhouse plants I have
marked with a * may be grown fairly well in the high
temperature, though thev vrould do better in the low one.
PARLOR GARDENING.
157
The culture of plants in rooms is already described in
the chapter on ''Winter-Flowering Plants," so that I
need not further allude to it, except to hint in regard to
the manner of placing the plants. One of the cheapest
and neatest contrivances is the ''folding plant stand"
(figure 47). The sizes are from three to six feet wide
and eight feet high, having from four to six shelves, and
capable of holding from twenty-five to one hundred
plants. It is hinged so as to fold up like a camp stool,
the shelves fitting in between
the frames, and it can be thus
shipped or stowed away when
not wanted, with great con-
venience. Rollers can he at-
tached to the feet, so that it
may be moved about as easily
as a table ; a great advantage
in cold nights, when it can
be drawn away from the win-
dow to a warmer part of the
room or to another room. Plants, when placed on this, or
similar stands, may be provided with saucers, so that the
floor or carpet need not be injured while watering. It is
not a good plan, however, to keep water in the saucers.
It is always a safer way of feeding the plant to water the
soil on the top, giving only enough for it to reach the
bottom, where, if any water pass through, it will be held
bv the saucer. If no saucers are used, and we think
plants are generally grown more safely without them,
the best plan is to take down the plants from the stand
(three times a week will usually be enough), to some'
place where the water will not do any injury, and give a
good soaking to all such as appear to be dry ; those not
so dry, water more sparingly, and give those in which the
soil shows that it is wet, none whatever. Let the water
drain off, pick off any dead leaves, and replace the pots
Fig. 47. — FOLDING PLANT STAND.
158 GARDEXIXG TOR PLEASURE.
again on the stand, being careful to change them as far
as jDossible, so that each side of the plant may get its fair
share of light. If the same part is always placed to the
light, the plant will soon become drawn to one side.
AEE PLANTS IJ^ ROOMS I^STJURIOUS TO HEALTH ?
The question whether plants may be safely grown in
living rooms is now settled by scientific men, who show
that, whatever deleterious gases may be given out by
plants at night, they are so minute in quantity that no
injury is ever done by their presence in the rooms and by
being inhaled. Though we were glad to see the question
disposed of by such authority, experience had already
shown that no bad effects ever resulted from living in
apartments where plants were grown. Our greenhouses
are one mass of foliage, and I much doubt if any healthier
class of men can be found than those engaged in the care
of plants. But timid persons may say that the deleteri-
ous gases are given out only at night, while our green-
house operatives are only employed in daylight. This is
only true in part. Our watchmen and men engaged in
attending to fires at night make the warm greenhouses
their sitting-room and their sleeping-room, and I have
5-et to hear of the first instance where the slightest injury
resulted from this practice. Many of our medical prac-
titioners run in old ruts. Some Solomon among them
probably gave out this dogma a century ago ; it was
made the convenient scapegoat of some other cause of
sickness, and the rank and file have followed in his train.
A belief in this error often consigns to the cellar, or to
the cold winds of winter, the treasured floral pets of a
household.
WARDIAN CASES, FERNERIES, AND JA.RDINIERES. 159
CHAPTER XXVI.
WARDIAN CASES, FERNERIES, AND JARDINIERES.
The forms of plant cases for the growth of such plants
as require a moist, still atmosphere, a condition impossi-
ble to obtain in a room in a dwelling-house, nor even in
a greenhouse, unless it is specially erected for the pur-
pose, are numerous. The form commonly known as the
Wardian Case (figure 48) has a base or tray, usually of
black walnut, about six inches deep, and lined with zmc,
and glass sides and top. These differ in size, some
Fig. 48.— WARDIAN CASE. Fig. 49.— FERNERY WITH GLAS3 SHADE.
being as large as three feet on the sides. Another neat
and cheaper form is made of terra cotta (figure 49), or
other earthen ware. These are usually round in shape,
and of various sizes, from nine to eighteen inches in di-
ameter. In all these the plants must be covered with
glass. In the Wardian Case there is glass all around the
sides and top, the top being hinged to allow^ the escape
of excess of moisture. In the Jardinieres, or circular
160 GARDEXIK^G FOE PLEASURE.
form, the plants are covered by a bell-glass, which is
tilted up a little at the side when there is an appearance
of excess of moisture. This condition of excess is known
by the glass becoming dimmed by moisture, and the water
trickling down the side. Usually, when this appear-
ance is seen, by raising the glass lid of the Wardian Case
an inch or so for a day, it will relieve it enough to enable
it to be kept close, which is the proper way to keep it for
the well-being of the plants. The plants grown in t h is way
are of kinds valued for the beauty of their foliage rather
than for their flowers, and should be such as are of a some-
what slow growth. All rampant growing plants, such as
Coleus, are unsuited. The effectiveness of these Cases
depends a great deal on the arrangement of the plants.
The tallest and most conspicuous things should be in the
center, with smaller ones towards the edges, varying the
interest by contrasting the different colorings and forms
of leaves. Among the plants best suited for growing
under these glass coverings are Dracaenas, Gymnostachi-
ums, Marantas, Caladiums, some of the ornamental
leaved Eranthemums, and dwarf-growing Begonias, Pe-
peromias, etc., and Ferns and Lycopods of the finer sorts.
The most of these are plants whose natural habitat is
shady woods or marshes ; and for their well being, the
nearer that the Wardian Case or Jardiniere can be made
to imitate such, the better.
The soil used in these cases should be light and porons.
The most convenient, and a very suitable material, is leaf
mold, which can be got in any piece of woodland. After
planting, the soil should be watered freely, to settle it
around the roots. To allow evaporation, ventilation
should be given for a few days after the watering, when
the glass may be put down close, only to be opened, as
before directed, when an excess of moisture shows on the
glass. Other than this there is no trouble whatever in
the management. The watering given on planting will
GREENHOUSES ATTACHED TO DWELLINGS. 161
)e sufficient to keep it moist enough for six or eight
7eeks. In winter the temperature of the room in which
he Wardian Case or Fernery is kept may run from fifty
seventy degrees at night. These closed Cases of either
:ind are particularly well adapted for growing Hyacinths
u winter, if desired ; but they must first be placed in
ome cool, dark place, so that the roots may be formed
)efore being brought into the light. (See special in-
tructions on this head under '^Fall or Holland Bulbs.")
Vhen the Cases are brought into the room they will re-
[uire daily ventilation. The Lily of the Valley can also
le grown finely in a Wardian Case. (See *'Fall or Hol-
and Bulbs.")
CHAPTER XXVII.
GREENHOUSES ATTACHED TO DWELLINGS.
The taste engendered by growing plants in rooms
f ten results in a desire to have more appropriate quarters
or the plants, and a greenhouse follows. This always
ffords the most satisfaction when it is so attached to the
welling, that opening a door or window from the dining-
oom or parlor reveals the glories of the greenhouse.
?he greenhouse, when attached to the dwelling, should
<e always on the east, southeast, south, or southwest
ides, never on the north, if Jloiuering plants are to be
Town ; though Ferns, Lycopods, Palms, and other
ilants grown for the beauty of their form or foliage, will
quite well in the shade of a northern aspect. It may
e of any length or width desired. If of ten feet width,
b will cost for erection from forty to sixty cents per
quare foot of the glass surface, according to the char-
cter of the work. If twenty feet wide, from forty to
162
GARDEI^'IN'G FOR PLEASURE.
fifty cents per square foot. This is exclusive of heating,
which, if done by hot-water pipes, will cost for ten feet
wide, about forty cents per square foot of the glass sur-
face ; if twenty feet wide, about the same. Thus, to
complete a conservatory, with heating apparatus, shelves,
etc., ten feet wide by forty feet long, would cost about
Fie:. 50.— BASE-BUKNER.
Fig. 51.— SECTION.
^400 ; if twenty by forty feet, about $700. In this esti-
mate it is assumed that the heating is to be done by
the Base-barning Water-heater of Hitchings & Co.,
or other similar heater. This heating apparatus is of
comparatively recent invention, and is exceedingly w^ell
adapted for the purpose, as the fire requires no more at-
I
GREENHOUSES ATTACHED TO DWELLINGS. 163
Jig. 52.— ELEVATION OF CONSERVATORY ATTACHED TO DWELLINCf,
wimimm]i,maa,imwummii.'i.i..inmihKiMmim,jm,m„,.,^ n ,„m,M»»»>i)iM^i„>..,>iu»}ri„m
-30'-
:j csi
■^3i
Fig. 53.— GROUND PLAN OF CONSERVATORY, FIG. 52.
164
GARDEXTNG FOR PLEASURE.
tention than any base-burning stove. Tbe boiler takes
up no more room than an ordinary stove, and requires no
setting. It is shown in figure 50, and in section in fig-
ure 51. It is fed by coal from the top, and can be left
with safety ten or twelve hours without any attention.
Fig. 54. — CONSERVATORY ATTACHED TO DWELLING.
It must be borne iu mind that, in constructing the con-
servatory, it must be built where a chimney is accessible
by which to carry off the smoke from the boiler or water
DETACHED GUEEXHOL'SES, ETC. 1(J5
heater, just as would be necessary for an ordinary stove.
If the greenhouse is small enough to be heated by a
register from the furnace or steam boiler that heats the
dwelling, much of the cost may be saved, as it will be
seen that nearly half of the cost of construction is the
heating apparatus. Figure 52 shows a front elevation of
a conservatory suitable to attach to dwellings. It is six-
teen feet wide and thirty feet in length. Its ground plan,
showing the arrangement of the benches and walks, is
given in figure 53. Such a structure in every way com-
plete, heated with the Hitchings Base-burning Water-
heater, should not exceed one dollar and twenty-five cents
per foot of glass surface, or $600.
Figure 54 shows a more elegant style of conservatory
attached to a dwelling. The size is sixteen by sixteen;
hight, twelve feet. The estimated cost complete, with
heating apparatus included, for every square foot of glass
surface covered, at four dollars per foot, would be $1,024.
If heated from the boiler or furnace used to heat the
dwelling, perhaps one-third less. This design is given
by Lord & Burnham, horticultural architects.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
DETACHED GREENHOUSES, MODES OF HEATING, ETC.
When more extended glass structures are desired they
must, of course, be detached from the dwelling or other
buildings ; and if shelter, ivithoiit sJiade, can be had
from hills, w^oods, or buildings from the north or north-
west, so much the better. When greenhouses, graperies,
rose houses, or other greenhouse structures are wanted
for forcing flowers or fruits m the winter months, they
should alwavs be built after what are called '^ three-
166
GAEDEXIXG FOE PLEASURE.
quarter spans ; " that is, haying nearly two-thirds of the
roof long on one side and the other one-third on the other.
The long or two-thirds
side should in all cases,
as near as possible, slope
directly south, the ob-
ject being to obtain, dur-
insr the dull davs of win-
ter, as much sunlight as
possible ; and for the
same reason the wood
work of the frame should
be as light as possible,
and the glass of the
largest size that can be
economically used. The
average size now in use
for this purpose is twelve
by twenty inches, put in
the twelve inch way.
The brand of glass most-
ly used is what is known
as ^^second quality dou-
ble thick French." It
is of the utmost impor-
tance that the glass be
clear and without flaws;
otherwise the flaws will
concentrate the sun's
rays, forming lenses,
and burn the foliage.
When greenhouse struc-
tures are not wanted
specially for winter flow-
ers or fruit, they may be formed of equal spans, as in
figure 55. In this case the ends should face north and
DETACHED GEEEXHOUSES, ETC.
167
SCALE^-i
Fig. 56. — END-VIEW AND PLA.N OF DETACHED GBEENHOUSE OB GEAPEBT.
168
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
Fio-. 57.— ELEVATION (iN PAUT) OF DETACHED GKEENHOTJSE OB GEAPEET.
DETACHED GREENHOL^SES, ETC. 169
south, so that the distribution of light will be equal on
each side : the east side in the morning and the west in
the afternoon.
All the walling from the surface of the ground to the
glass of a greenhouse had better be made of wood, unless
the walls are made very thick when built of brick or
stone. The continued warfare in winter between a zero
temperature outside and sixty to seventy degrees inside,
will in a few years destroy brick or stone walls. When
the walls are formed of wood, the best way is to place
locust posts at distances of four feet apart, and nail to
these a sheathing of boards. Against the boards tack
asphaltum or tarred paper, and again against that place
the weather-boarding. This forms a wall which, if kept
painted, will last for fifty years, and is equally warm as
a twelve-inch brick wall, and costs less than half. A
common error is to board on each side of the post and
fill in with saw^dust or shavings. This should never be
done, as this filling soon decays, besides forming a resort
for mice and other vermin. We have had just such a
structure (as figure 57) in use fifteen years as a cold
grapery, that has no heating apparatus, the forwarding
being done only by the action of the sun on the glass,
and it has proved a cheap and satisfactory luxury. A con-
servatory or grapery of this style (figures 56 and 57) costs
from fifty to sixty cents per square foot, without heating
apparatus. Heated by hot water, it would cost one dol-
lar to one dollar and twenty-five cents per square foot. If
heated by a horizontal flue in the manner here described,
the cost would be about seventy-five cents per square foot.
GLASS AND GLAZING.
If for Avinter forcing of either fruit or flowers, the
glass should be not less than ten by twelve in size,
laid in the twelve way, and if twelve by twenty all the
better. Even with the greatest care, some flaws in
170 GARDEXIIs^G FOR PLEASURE.
the glass will escape detection, and more or less burn
the leaves after the sun becomes strong, to counteract
which a slight shading had better be used on the glass
from April to September. We use naphtha, with just
enough white lead mixed in it to give it the appearance
of thin milk. This we put on with a syringe, which
sufficiently covers up all flaws in the gkss to prevent
burning, and at the same time tends to cool the house
from the violence of the sun's rays. Tiiis is by far the
cheapest and best shading we have ever used. It can be
graded to any degree of thickness, and costs only about
twenty-five cents per thousand square feet of glass, for
material and labor.
In glazing, the method now almost universally adopted
is to bed the glass in putty, and tack it on top with
glazier's points, using no putty on the top. The glazier's
points are triangular, one corner of which is turned down,
so that, when it is driven in, it fits the lower edge of
each pane and prevents it from slipping down. A great
mistake is often made in giving the glass too much lap.
It should only be given just enough to cover the edge of
the pane (from one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch). If
given too much, the water gets in, and when it freezes it
cracks the glass.
All who have had experience with greenhouses know
that, no matter how well the glazing has been done by bed-
ding the glass in putty, the water gets in at the crevices
sooner or later, rotting the putty, and, consequently, loos-
ening the glass. A simple plan to obviate this (which has
recently been introduced) is to pour along the junction
of the bar with the glass a thin line of white lead in oil
from the slender spout of a machine oil can, over which
is shaken dry sand. This at once hardens, and makes a
cement which effectually checks all leakage. This, care-
fully done, will make such a tight job that no repairs
will be necessary for many years.
DETACHED GREENHOUSES, ETC.
171
17*^ GARDEJS^ING FOR PLEASURE.
The following are a few styles of greenhouse structures
of finer finish than most of the preceding. It is all im-
portant that the hights, angles, etc., be kept as near to
the plans given as possible, as each plan we believe to be
as near correct as it well can be, to give the best results
in culture. No scale is given, but a scale can easily be
adapted from any of the accompanying measurements.
Figure 58 is taken from Lord and Burnham's book of
greenhouse plans, and represents a three-quarter span
house, seventeen by sixty, ridge eight feet, heated by six
runs of four-inch pipes for hot water. It is the most
useful style of all greenhouse structures, and is used for
the model rose house, but can be adapted to the grow-
ing of all kinds of flowering plants for winter blooming,
or for forcing strawberries, cucumbers, and other fruits or
vegetables. The estimated cost of such a structure (if the
frame and walls are made of wood, and, as a general
thing, we advise them made of wood) would be from
one dollar and twenty-five cents to one dollar and fifty
cents per foot for the ground area covered by the house ;
that is, a house seventeen by sixty at one dollar and twen-
ty-five cents would cost $1,275 for the whole structure
complete, including the healing by steam or hot water,
ventilating apparatus, etc. Of course, the cost would be
lessened in proportion to the size of the buildings. The
engraving shows the walls to be formed of brick; but this
is not only more costly, but, in our experience, is not so
good as wood. (See Greenhouse Structures.)
Figure 59 represents a greenhouse twenty by sixty,
ridge eleven feet high, full span. The ground plan shows
it to be divided in the center by a glass partition, so that,
thus divided, it can, if required, be used for greenhouse
and hothouse plants by simply adding two additional pipes
to the section used for the hothouse ; or one section may
be used as a rose house and the other for greenhouse
plants. The construction is the same as recommended
DETACHED GREENHOUSES, ETC.
173
174
GARDEXIiS'G FOR PLEASURE.
DETACHED GREENHOUSES, ETC.
175
for the house seventeen by sixty (figure 58). The cost
of this structure would be about one dollar and fifty
cents per foot, or $1,800
for a house twenty by sixty
complete.
Figure 60 represents a
curvilinear, three-quarter ^^
span house, eighteen by A
sixty, with twelve feet ridge, ^
which can be used as a green-
house, rose house, or grap-
ery. The cost, if built of
wood (as advised in the
house seventeen by sixty,
figure 58), would be about
one dollar and fifty cents
per foot, or $1,620. "
Figure 61 (center, fifty by
fifty, each wing twenty-five
by forty-five) shows a beau-
tiful and one of the most
useful of glass structures.
The center is to be used for a
conservatory or show house,
where ornamental foliaged
or flowering plants may be
placed. The wings are to
be used for a grapery, green-
house, or rose liouse, as de-
sired. Such a building as
is shown in the engraving
would cost, with iron frame,
brick foundations, and heat-
ing and ventilating appara-
tus complete, about two dollar.- aiid fifty cents per foot,
or Sll,875, if of the above dimensions. This is the
^
a*
176 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
faTorite style of greenhouse structure in the vicinity of
New York on well-appointed places, yaried somewhat in
size or architectural details, according to the taste of the
owner.
HEATIKG BY HOT WATER AND STEAM.
These methods are in almost universal use, though many,
who do not wish to go to the expense, still use smoke flues.
In heating by hot water it is important that the work
be given to some reputable firm, whose knowledge is
such as will enable them not only to judge what is the
proper capacity of the boiler for the number of pipes to
be used, but also how many pipes are necessary to be
used for the surface of glass to be heated. Men who have
done a large business in heating greenhouses have far
better opportunities for knowledge in this matter than
the average gardener or florist ; and if those erecting
greenhouses have not had extensive and varied practice,
they had better be guided by the men who make a busi-
ness of heating, as the want of the requisite knowledge
of these matters often works serious mischief. Of course,
the size of the greenhouse or greenhouses to be heated
must determine the capacity of the boiler wanted ; but
the boiler being properly apportioned to the length of
pipe, the following data, used in our own establishment,
may be useful In our houses, which are twenty feet
wide and one hundred feet long, when a night tempera-
ture of seventy degrees is required in the coldest weather,
ten runs or rows of four-inch pipe, five on each side ;
when sixty degrees are wanted, eight runs of pipe, four
on each side ; when fifty degrees are wanted, six runs
of pipe ; and when only thirty-five or forty degrees are
wanted, four runs of pipe. This is for the latitude of
New York City, where the temperature rarely falls lower
than ten degrees below zero. Latitudes north or south
of New York should be graded accordingly. If esti-
DETACHED GREENHOUSES, ETC. 177
mated by glass surface, about one foot in length of four-
inch pipe is necessary for every three and a half square
feet of glass surface, when the temperature is at ten de-
grees below zero, to keep a temperature of fifty degrees in
the greenhouse. We now place all our pipes under the
side benches, as that enables us to use the space under
the middle for stowing away many plants safely, which
otherwise could not be done if the pipes were there.
Heating greenhouses by steam is rapidly coming into
use, and, in my opinion, whenever the extent to be heated
is over five thousand feet of glass surface, steam should
be used in preference to hot water, for the reason that it
ought to be cheaper to put up, one foot of steam pipe
costing ten cents being equal to the hot-water pipe costing
twenty cents ; and, in addition, in a thorough compara-
tive trial we find it to be a saving of about twenty-five
per cent, in coal. As far as the well-being of the plants
is concerned, it makes no difference whatever whether
the greenhouse is heated by hot water or by steam.
There is an impression that the heat given off from
hot-water pipes is more moist than that from steam ;
but this is an error, as experiments show there is
no difference whatever.
USIlfQ GAS TAB ON STEAM OR HOT- WATER PIPES.
Every season some one is led into the grievous blun-
der of painting the hot-water or steam pipes with gas tar.
This never fails to result in the almost complete destruc-
tion of the plants as soon as the necessity for heating
the pipes begins. The heat evolved from the pipes so
painted gives out a gas destructive to all species of plant
life. When the blunder has been committed, there is no
remedy but to take out the pipes and bum the gas tar off
by a red heat. All kinds of remedies have been tried
again and again, and all have failed, for the reason that
178
GABDEitflKG FOE PLEA.SURE.
•''" " **
^^ *v
/ > V \
' / \ ^
1 1 • t
i * ' '
[
1
[^_
-^-^ ^ ^•^_i-^
. .
PI
;3
e3 O
a>
o
o3 -^^
DETACHED GREEJ^HOUSES, ETC. 179
the gas tar eats right into the grain of the metal, often
half through it, so that all surface applications are use-
less. Better let all painting of the pipes alone, as a
rather better radiation of heat is got if left unpainted.
HEATIXG BY FLUES.
When personal attention can be given to the fires, by
heating greenhouses with flues a great saving in cost can
be made ; in fact, nearly half the cost of construction ;
for we find that the hot-water heating apparatus usually
is half the cost of building greenhouses, while, if heated
by flues, the cost would not be more than ten per cep.t.
of the whole. A new method of constructing flues (or
rather a revived method, for it originated in 18:^2,) has
been in use for the past few years, which has such mani-
fest advantages that many now use it who would no
doubt otherwise have used hot- water heating. Its pe-
culiarity consists in running the flue back to the furnace
from which it starts and into the chimney, which is built
on the top of the furnace. As soon as the fire is lighted
in the furnace, the brick-work forming the arch gets
heated, and at once starts an upward draft, driving out
the cold air from the chimney, which puts the smoke
flue into immediate action and maintains it ; hence there
IS never any trouble about the draft, as in ordinary flues
having the chimney at the most distant point from the
furnace. It will be understood that the chimney into
which the flue is returned is placed on the top of
the arch of the furnace, and not in it, as some might
suppose.
By this plan we not only get rid of the violent heat
given out by the furnace, but at the same time it insures
a complete draft, so tliat the heated air from the furnace
is so rapidly carried through the entire lengtli of the flue,
that it is nearly as hot when it enters the chimney as
180
gardexiis^Ct for pleasure.
when it left the furnace. This perfect draft also does
away with all danger of the escape of gas from the flues
into the greenhouse, which ol'tea happens when the
draft is not active. Although no system of heating by
smoke flues is so satisfactory as by hot water or steam,
yet there are many who do not want to go to the expense
of hot-water heating, and to such this revived method is
one that will, to a great extent, simplify and cheapen
the erection of greenhouses.
Figure 62 (one-eighth of an inch to the foot scale)
shows a greenhouse twenty feet wide by fifty feet long,
with furnace room, or shed, ten by twenty feet. Here
Fig. 63.— (Scale Vs of an incli to the foot.)
the flues are so disposed as to avoid crossing the walks,
being placed under the center bench, but as near as pos-
sible to the w^alk on each side, so that the heat may be
evenly diffused throughout. If a difference in tempera-
ture is required in a house of this kind, it may be ob-
tained by running a glass partition across the house, say
at twenty-five feet from the furnace end, which will, of
course, make the latter end the hottest. It will be ob-
served that the plan (figure 62) shows by dotted lines
this new or revived plan of flue heating. Figure 63 (the
DETACHED GREENHOUSES, ETC. 181 '
same scale) is a section, showing the arrangement of the
benches, etc.
In constructing the furnace for flue heating, the size
of the furnace doors should be, for a greenhouse twenty
by fifty, about fourteen inches square, and the length of
the furnace bars thirty inches. The furnace should be
arched over, and the top of the inside of the arch should
be about twenty inches from the bars. The flue will
always ^'draw" better if slightly on the ascent through-
out its entire length. It should be elevated in all cases
from the ground, on flags or bricks, so that its heat may
be given out on all sides. The inside measure of the
brick flue should not be less than eight by fourteen
inches. If tiles can be conveniently procured, they are
best to cover with ; but, if not, the top of the flue may
be contracted to six inches, and covered with bricks.
After the flue has been built of brick to twenty-five or
thirty feet from the f urnai^e, cement or vitrified drain
pipe, eight or nine inches in diameter, should be used, as
they are not only cheaper, but radiate the heat quicker
than the bricks ; they are also much easier constructed
and cleaned. Care should be taken that no wood work is
in contact with the flue at any place. It should be taken
as a safe rule, that wood work should in no case be nearer
the flue or furnace than eight inches. In constructing,
do not be influenced by what the mechanics w411 tell you,
as few of them have any experience in such matters, and
are not able to judge of the dangers resulting from wood
work being in close contact with the heated bricks.
There are scores of greenhouses burned every year owi'ng
to carelessness or ignorance in allowing the brick work
to be too close to the wood. The cost of such a green-
house (tw^enty by fifty feet), at present prices, heated by
flue, would be about six hundred dollars, or about sixty
cents per square foot covered by the greenhouse.
182 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
HEATING BY HOT-BEDS.
There is no better artificial heat used for the starting
of seeds or growing of plants than that obtained from
the hot-bed. The material used is manure fresh from the
horse-stable, and wlien they can be procured, it is better
to mix it with about an equal bulk of tan bark or leaves
from the woods, or refuse hops. If the weather is very
cold, the bulk of manure must be of good size, from five
to six wagon loads, thrown into a compact round heap,
else the mass may be so chilled that heat will not gener-
ate. If a shed is convenient, the manure may be placed
there, especially if the quantity is small, to be protected
from cold until the heat begins to rise. The heap should
be turned and well broken up before being used for the
hot-beds, so that the rank steam may escape, and the
manure become of the proper *' sweetened" condition.
It is economy of the heating material to use a pit for
the hot-bed. This should be made from two to three feet
deep, six feet wide, and of any required length. When
a hot-bed is made on the surface of the ground the heat-
ing material should not be less than thirty inches deep,
and should be at least two feet wider and longer than the
frame on which the sashes are placed. Thus, if the hot-
bed is for three three-by-six sashes, the actual space
covered by the frame would be nine by eighteen ; and
for this the hot-bed on which it rests should be twelve by
twenty.
After the heating material has been packed in the pit
to the depth of twenty to twenty-four inches, according
to the purpose for Avhich it is wanted, or the season of
the year (the earlier in the season, the deeper it is
needed), the sashes should be placed on the frame, and
kept close until the heat generates in the hot-bed, which
will usually take twenty-four hours. Xow plunge a
thermometer into the manure, and if all is right it will
DETACHED GEEENHOUSES, ETC. 183
indicate one hundred degrees or more ; but this is yet
too hot as bottom heat for the growth of seeds or plants,
and a few days of dehiy must be allowed until the ther-
mometer indicates a falling of eight or ten degrees, when
four or five inches of soil may be placed upon the manure,
and the seeds sown or plants set out in the hot-bed. Am-
ateurs are apt to be impatient in the matter of hot-beds,
and often lose their first crop by sowing or planting be-
fore the first violent heat has subsided. Another very
common mistake is in beginning too early in the season.
In the latitude of New York nothing is gained by begin-
ning before the first week in March, and the result will
be very nearly as good if not begun until a month later.
There are two or three important matters to bear in
mind in the use of hot-beds. It is indispensable for
safety to cover the glass at night with shutters or mats
until all danger of frost is over ; for it must be remem-
bered that the contents of a hot-bed are always tender,
from being forced so rapidly by the heat below, and that
the slightest frost will kill them. Again, there is danger
of overheating in the daytime by a neglect to ventilate
when the sun is shining. As a general rule, it will be
safe in all the average days of March, April, and May, to
have the sash of the hot-bed tilted up from an inch to
three inches at the back from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Much
will, of course, depend upon the activity of the heating
material in the hot-bed, the warmth of the weather, and
the character of the plants in the bed, so that we can
only give a loose general rule. Numbers of inexperienced
amateur cultivators often lose the entire contents of
their hot-beds by having omitted to ventilate them, and
on their return home from business at night find all the
plants scorched up ; or the danger of the other extreme
IS, that the plants are frozen through neglect to cover
them at night. A hot-bed requires a certain amount of
attention, which must be given at the right time, or no
184 GARDEmNG FOR PLEASURE.
satisfactory results can be expected. Careful attention
must be given to watering, which should be increased in
quantity as the season advances. In all cases, as the
tiny hot-bed plants are always tender, tepid water is pref-
erable to use, and it should be put on very gently with
a fine rose watering pot.
CHAPTER XXIX.
GREENHOUSES OR PITS WITHOUT ARTIFICIAL
HEATING.
The directions given for heating greenhouses by hot
water or by flues apply, of course, only to sections of the
country where the temperature during the winter months
makes heating a necessity. In many of the southern
states there is no need of artificial heat. A greenhouse
tightly glazed, and placed against a building where it is
sheltered from the north and northwest, will keep out
frost when the temperature does not fall lower than
twenty-five degrees above zero ; and if light wooden shut-
ters are used to cover the glass, all those classed as "green-
house " plants will be safe even at ten degrees lower,
provided the conservatory is attached to the south or
southeast side of a dwellino^ or other buildinof. An-
other cheap and simple method of keeping plants during
winter in mild latitudes is by the use of the sunken pit
or deep frame, which affords the needed protection even
more completely than the elevated greenhouse. This is
formed by excavating the soil to the depth of from eigh-
teen to thirty-six inches, according to the size of the
plants it is intended to contain. A convenient width
is six feet, the ordinary length of a hot-bed sash, and
of such length as may be desired. Great care must
be taken that the ground is such that no water will stand
GREENHOUSES WITHOUT ARTIFICIAL HEATING, 185
in the pit. If the soil is moist it should be drained,
and the bottom covered with an inch or two of cement.
The sides of the pit may be either walled up by a four
or eight-inch course of brick work, or planked up, as
may be preferred; but in either case the bach wall should
be raised about eighteen inches and the front about six
inches above the surface, in order to give the necessary
slope to receive the sun's rays
and to shed the water. A
section of such a pit is shown
in figure 64. If a pit of
this kind is made in a dry
and sheltered position, and
the orlass covered by liarht ^- ---^^^^^^^m^^ ^r
shutters of half-inch boards. Fig. 64.— sunken pit.
it may be used to keep all the hardier class of greenhouse
plants, even in localities where the thermometer falls to
zero. After all danger of severe weather is past, which,
in the latitude of New York, is usually by the last week
of April, greenhouses or pits without artificial heat can
be safely used for keeping all kinds of greenhouse plants,
unless the very tender kinds, such as Coleus, as we rarely
have frost sufficiently severe after that date to penetrate
into the cold pit or cold greenhouses. In the hands of
inexperienced cultivators, plants win always be grown
better without artificial heat, which is often very difficult
to properly adjust, particularly when the greenhouse is
small.
A new covering for plants has recently come into use,
under the name of ^' Protecting Cloth." It can be bought
for eight or ten cents per yard, so that two yards of it
tacked to a light frame will make a "sash covering to
protect plants, at a cost of twenty-five cents each, which
will answer nearly as well as a glass sash, costing ten
times as much, for all protection that plants require
after danger of severe freezing is past. Often, during
186 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
the early part of May, we have from four to six degrees
of frost, which would be fatal to all tender plants, which,
if covered by the protecting cloth, could be saved. I
have frequently been asked since the introduction of the
protecting cloth, whether it can be used instead of glass
for small greenhouses in winter. In very mild climates,
where there is but a few degrees of frost, it would answer
fairly well. The only objection would be in case of con-
tinued wet weather, as, of course, the cloth would not
shed the rain unless placed at a very sharp angle.
CHAPTER XXX.
COMBINED CELLAR AND GREENHOUSE.
In connection with the description of the cold pit or
greenhouse without fire heat, may be mentioned the com-
bined cellar and greenhouse. Many years ago an acci-
dental circumstance gave me an opportunity of testing
the utility of such a structure. An excavation, twenty by
forty feet, and seven feet deep, had been made, walled up
with stone, and beams laid across preparatory to placing
a building upon it, when the owner changed his plans,
and found himself with this useless excavation within a
dozen yards of his costly residence. There seemed to be
no alternative but to fill it up or plank it over ; but both
plans were objectionable, and in discussing how to get
out of the ditliculty, I suggested erecting a low-roofed
greenhouse over it, as the owner had a taste for cultivat-
ing plants. This suggestion was followed, and the walls
were raised two feet above the surface, and a span-roofed
greenhouse erected over it.
My idea (which was found to be nearly correct) was,
. that the laro^e volume of air in the excavation would at
COMBINED CELLAR AND GREENHOUSE. 187
no season go below forty degrees, and be sufficient to
keep the upper or greenhouse portion of the structure
above the freezing point in the coldest weather. This
it did completely when the ghiss was covered at night
with shutters ; and the plants with which it was filled,
01 a kind requiring a low temperature, kept in better
health than if they had been grown in a greenhouse
havinsr fire heat.
Under favorable circumstances such a structure might
be made of great utility, and at a trifling cost ; for as it
dispenses with heating apparatus, which usually is more
than half of the whole cost in all greenhouses, the use
of a cellar and greenhouse could be had at probably less
than the cost of an ordinary greenhouse ; and for half-
hardy plants — plants that will do well in winter if kept
only above the freezing point — such a structure will be
better for many of them than any kind of greenhouse
heated by fire heat. All kinds of Roses, Camellias,
Azaleas, Zonal Geraniums, Violets, Cape Jessamines,
Carnations, Abutilons, Verbenas. Primulas, Stevias, and,
in short, all plants known as cool greenhouse plants,
will keep in a healthy, though nearly dormant condition,
during the winter months ; but they will flourish with
greatly increased vigor at their natural season of growth
and flowering as spring advances. Besides, the cellar
may be used for the ordinary purposes of such a place ;
or, if exclusively for horticultural purposes, no better
place can be had for keeping all deciduous hardy or half-
hardy plants, Hyacinths in pots to start to flower, or any
bulbs of similar nature. The great point to be observed
is, that the soil where such a structure is to be erected
is entirely free from water, or, if not so naturally, it
must be made entirely dry by draining.
The style that I think would suit best for general pur-
poses would be twelve feet in width, and of any length
desired. The excavation should not be less than seven
188
GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
feet deep, walled up to about one foot above the surface.
When complete it would show something like the section
in figure 65. If desired, the walls might be raised two
feet above the surface level, which would admit of a few
windows in the wall to give light in the cellar, if so de-
sired. If the glass roof is made fixed, it should have
ventilating sashes three by three, at intervals of six or
nine feet on each side of the roof ; if of sashes, they
should be seven feet long by three feet wide, every alter-
nate one being arranged to move for ventilation in the
usual way. The position of the structure would be best
with its ends north and south. The shutters for cover-
Fig. 65. — GREENHOUSE AND CELLAB COarBINED.
ing the glass at night should be made of light half-inch
pine boards, three feet wide by seven feet long.
It will be understood that the advantage of this com-
bination of cellar and greenhouse over the ordinary cold
pit is, that the air of the greenhouse is warmed or
equalized by mixing with the atmosphere of the cellar,
which will rarely be less than forty degrees. For the
same reason, if a high temperature by fire heat were
wanted, say seventy degrees, this large body of air from
below of forty degrees would make it difficult to obtain
HARDY SHRUBS, CLIMBERS, AND TREES. 189
it. If the flooring above the cellar is made water tight,
which could easily be done, even if covered by plank, by
cementing over the plank, the cellar could be used as
a musliroom house, as no light is necessary for the
growth of musiirooms. (For instructions, see ^'Mush-
room Culture.")
CHAPTER XXXI.
HARDY SHRUBS, CLIMBERS, AND TREES.
A PLACE is seldom so small that a few choice shrubs
cannot appropriately find room, and in which climbers
are not desirable, while in the larger places these become
important to its proper ornamentation. Whether its size
admits of the use of trees or not, both deciduous and
evergreen shrubs, climbers as well as evergreen trees of
low growth, are indispensable. We here append a list of
the leading kinds in each class, but which by no means
exhausts the number of desirable varieties ; and for the
others reference may be made to the catalogues of the
principal nurseries, where also will be found descriptions
of those here named.
HARDY DECIDUOUS SHRUBS.
^scidus parviflora - - Dwarf Tlorse-Chestnut, rosy white.
Azalea Fbiitica, hybrids. - - -Bel2:ian Azaleas, rose, yellow, etc.
Berheris vulgaris'- Barberry, yellow.
a u var. /)jfrp?«-<?a--. Purple-leaved Barberry, yellow.
CahjcanthiisflorUlxs. Sweet-scented Shrub, chocolate color.
Cercis Japonica - - -Japan Judas Tree, rose-purple.
Chionanthus Virginica Fi-in^e Tree, white.
aethra alnifolia - - Sweet Pepper Bush. .CTeenish, scented.
Cotoneastcr microphi/Ua. Small-leaved Cotoneaster, white.
Cratcegus Pijracantha Pyracanth Thora, white.
" oxyacantha jl. pi - Hawthom, double white.
" <' comnm./?.pZ. Hawthorn, double scarlet.
Cydonia {Pyrus) Japonica Japan Quince, scarlet, white, etc.
190 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
Cytisus elongatus Laburnum, yellow.
Deutzia scabra Rough Deutzia, white.
'' crenatajl. pi Double Deutzia, white.
' ' gracilis Slender Deutzia, white.
Euonytnus atropurp areas Burning- Bush, fruit orange scarlet.
" latifoUus Broad-leaved B. B. , fruit orange-scar't.
Exodiorda {Spircea) gra}idiJiora- . -Large Flowering Spiraea, white.
Forsythia viridissima Golden Bell, yellow.
Ealesia tetraptera Silver Bell, white.
Hibiscus Syriacusjl. pi Rose of Sharon, double, all shades from
white to crimson.
Hydrangea panic ulata (/mwcZJ/^ora. Great-panicled Hydrangea, white.
" Hortensia Common Hydrangea, blue or pink.
" Japordca - - -Japan Hydrangea, white.
Kerria Japonica Japan Globe-flower, yellow.
Lomcera Tartarica. Tartarian Honeysuckle,piuk and white.
MagyioUa glauca Sweet Bay Magnolia, greenish- white.
' ' conspicua Yulan Tree, shaded carmine.
' ' SouJangeana Soulange's Magnolia, white and pm-ple.
Philadelphus coronarius Mock Orange, white.
" nanus Mock Orange, Dwarf, white.
Primus Japonica Jiore aZ6aj9Zena- -Double-flow 'g Almond, pink or white.
Primus triloba Japan Flowering Plum, blush-white.
Bibes aureum Missouri Currant, yellow.
" sanguinewn Crimson.
Spircsa p)runifoliajl. pi. Plum-leaved Spiraea, white.
" callosa and var. alba Flat-topped Spirsea, pink and white.
" Mecvesii jl. pi Lance-leaved Spiraea, white.
" Douglasii Douglas's Spiraea, white.
" hijpericifolia St. Peter's Wreath, white.
Stuartia pentagynia Stuartia, white.
Symphoricarpus racemosus Snowberry, white fruit.
Syringa vulgaris Common Lilac, purple, lilac, and rose.
" " alba White Lilac.
" Persica - . -Persian Lilac, purple.
" <' alba - - -Persian Lilac, white.
Viburnum Opidus Snowball, white.
" plicatum Dwarf Snowball, white.
Weigela rosea Bush Honeysuckle, rose.
'* " fol. var. Bush Honeysuckle, variegated foliage.
" nivea Bush Honeysuckle, white.
" amabilis Bush Honeysuckle, rose and white.
" Desboisiana Bush Honeysuckle, rose and white.
HARDY EVERGREEN SHRUBS.
Andromeda floribunda Free-flowering Andi-omeda.
Biota Orienialis - - Eastern Arbor Vitas.
HARDY SHRUBS, CLIMBERS, AND TREES. 191
Buxus sempervirens arborea Tree Box.
Ceplialotaxics Fortimli Fortune's Cephalotaxus.
Daphne Cneorum Garland Flower.
Ilex opaca American Holly.
Juniperus communis var. Suecica.. Swedish Juniper.
" " " ITlbernica -lush Juniper.
" ohlonga pcndula Weeping Juniper.
" squamata Scaled Juniper.
" prostrata Prostrate Juniper.
Kalmia latlfolia . American Laurel.
Podocarpus Japonica Japan Yew.
Hhododendron Catawbiense, hyb's -Rhododendrons.
Tazus boccata English Yew.
" Canadensis American Yew.
" erecta Upright Yew.
Thuja Occldentahs- American Ai-bor Vitae.
" " var. Sibirica Siberian Arbor Vitae.
" " " plicata Plicate Arbor Vitse.
" " " nana Dwarf Arbor Vitae.
" " " Geo.Peabody. GoldeTo. Arbor Vitse.
HARDY EVEBGREEN TREES.
Abies Canadensis Hemlock Spruce.
" " var. Sargentipendula.SargenVs Pendulous Hemlock Spruce.
" excelsa Norway Spruce.
" " var. Gregoryana Gregory's Spruce.
" " " pygmiva. Dwarf Spruce
'' " " inverta Inverted Spruce.
" nigra piimila Dwarf Black Spruce.
" Fraseri var. Hadsonica Hudson's Bay Fir.
" pectinaia European Silver Fir.
" " var. fastigiata Erect Silver Fir.
" Plchia Siberian Silver Fir.
Juniperus Virginiana Red Cedar.
Pinu^ Sirobus White Pine.
" Ccmbra Swiss Stone Pine.
" pwnilio ...Dwarf Pine.
*' An^iriaca Austrian Pine.
Betinospora obtusa Obtuse-leaved Retinospora.
" plumosa aurea Golden-plumed Retinospora.
HARDY CLIMBERS.
Akebia quinata. Akebia, purple, fragrant.
Ampelopsis quinquefolia. .Virginia Creeper, leaves grandly col-
ored in fall,
" Veitchii Leaves grandly colored in fall.
" RoyaXi Leaves grandly colored in faU.
192 GARDENIi?"G FOR PLEASURE.
Aristolochia sipho Dutchman 's Pipe, j^eenish-brOTvn, cu-
rious.
Glematisflammula Virgin's Bower, white.
" coceinea Vu-gin's Bower, scarlet,
" azurea, and various hyb's. All shades from white to deepest pur-
ple and blue, double and single.
Hedera Helix European Ivy.
This in its many varieties is scarcely hardy at New York.
Lonicera sempervirens Trumpet Honeysuckle, scarlet, yellow.
" EalUana Hall's Honeysuckle, white and buff.
" Japonica Japan Honeysuckle, pink and Avhite.
« " m»-.a'^rmj-eficitZa^a. Golden-leaved Honeysuckle.
" Penclymenum English Woodbine, crimson, shaded
white.
« " var. Belgica.Dntch Honeysuckle, monthly, rose and
white.
Eoses embrace Tellow, Crimson, White, etc.
Tecoma {Big>i07iia) grandijlom .... Large-flowered Trumpet Vine, orange-
scailet.
< ' {Bignonia) radicatis Trumpet Creeper, orange.
Wistaria frutescciis American Wistana, purple and white.
" Sinensis Chinese Wistaria, purple.
<< '< var. alba - . .White Wistaria.
«« " << Alleni Allen's Wistaria, violet.
" magnlfica Magnificent Wistaiia, dark purple,
large.
For a proper understandiiig of where to plant the dif-
ferent kinds of climbing plants, it is necessary to divide
them into two classes. The "twining" kinds, such as
are adapted to twine around wire, strings, trellis-work,
or limbs of trees, which comprise the largest class ; and
the "climbing" kinds, in which is included the Clematis,
the grandest and most varied of all climbing plants. The
"twining" kinds can be trained on poles eight or ten
feet high as individual specimens, or on the trellis-work
of verandas, or on wire fences, or on any material which
thev can twine around. The Loniceras or Honeysuckles
require similar treatment ; and though by no means so
varied or brilliant in coloring as the Clematis, they are all
deliciously fragrant, while, so far, there is only one variety
of Clematis that is fragrant, C. flammnla. Of the hardy
HARDY HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS. 193
climbing plants that ''cling" rather than twine there
are the Ampelopsis (known as Virginia Creeper, Boston
Ivj, etc.) and the Hedera Helix, the true European Ivy.
Both of these attach themselves, in climbing, to walls of
brick, stone, or rough wood, trees, etc., by throwing out
rootlets or suckers from the stem as they climb, which
are firmly attached to whatever they are climbing on.
The Ampelopsis Veitchii and Royali are comparatively
new plants, but hundreds of thousands of them are now
sold annually, and grand specimens are seen in nearly
every section of the country. When once established they
will climb against walls ten feet in a season, and attaiu
to a bight of fifty feet in three or four years. Many
buildings in Boston, New York, and elsewhere, are
covered to the roof with these beautiful climbers. The
leaves, which are green in summer, overlap like a coat
of mail ; but it is in autumn that they are seen in their
glory. No '' autumn leaves" surpass in beauty the Am-
pelopsis ; shaded crimson, scarlet, and orange, they can
be seen, in a clear day, nearly a mile distant. The Am-
pelopsis has been largely planted by the Pennsylvania and
other railroad lines against the rocks where cuts have
been made, and it is in contemplation to use this plant
to cling to embankments to prevent sliding.
Climbing Roses can be trained on wire or wooden
fences, verandas, dead trees, or to poles ; but in all cases
they require to be tied or tacked to the support to keep
them in proper shape.
CHAPTER XXXII.
HARDY HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS.
Herbaceous perennials include those hardy plants,
the stems of which die down at the approach of winter,
or earlier if they have completed their growth. The roots
194 GARDENIiq^a FOR PLEASURE.
being hardy, they remain in the same place for many
years in succession. Plants of this class were formerly
more popular than they have been of late years, the taste
for brilliant bedding effects having caused these former
favorites to be neglected. Recently the taste for peren-
nials has revived, and while they cannot serve as substi-
tutes for what are known as bedding plants, they are ex-
ceedingly useful for those who wish to have flowers with
but little trouble, as most of them can remain for eight
or ten years without requiring any other care than to
keep them clear of weeds. It will renew their vigor,
however, when the clumps become too large, to lift,
divide, and re-set them in fresh soil. For the best results
it is advisable to re-set most of them every third year,
while some may remain in place indefinitely, taking care
to give them a yearly manuring, as the vigorous growing
ones soon exhaust the soil immediately around them.
In setting out these plants, the taller kinds should be
placed at the back of the border, or in the center if
the bed is to be seen from both sides, while those of the
lowest growth are to be placed at the edge, and those of
intermediate size between.
A proper selection of these plants will give a succession
from early spring until frost stops all bloom. Many of
these perennials remain unchanged from their natural
state, but bloom in our borders just as they appeared in
.their native woods and hills in different parts of the
world, and seem to show no disposition to *' break" or
deviate from their normal form, notwithstanding they
have been in cultivation for a century or two. On the
other hand, many have, by ^' sporting," or by hybridizing
and crossing, as in the case of Peonies, Phloxes, Irises,
and others, produced many florists' varieties, which show
forms and colors not found in the native state of the
plants, and the frequent occurrence of double flowers
among them shows that cultivation has not been without
HARDY HERBACEOUS PEREN^NIALS. 195
its influence. As many of the hardy herbaceous peren-
nials are natives of shady woods and swamps, they suffer
greatly if exposed to the scorching rays of our summer
suns, unless mulched with manure, leaves, or some such
material to protect the roots. Most of them also do
rather better in a little shade than when exposed to full
sunsh-ine.
With such a number to select from, it is diffi-
cult to make a list of twenty-five, or even fiftj^,
and not leave out many desirable kinds. Those in
the followiug list are all of generally admitted ex-
cellence, and are usually to be obtained from florists
and nurserymen.
It maybe added here, that there is no part of the coun-
try which does not afford wild flowers of sufficient beauty
to merit a place in the garden, and most of them, except,
perhaps, those which naturally grow in deep shade, will
grow larger and bloom finer in a rich border than in
their native localities.
Perennials are propagated by division of the clumps,
by cuttings of the stems, and sometimes of the roots,
and by seeds. In many cases the seeds are very slow of
germination unless sown as soon as ripe. As most of
them do not bloom until the seedlings have made one
year's growth, the seeds should be sown in a reserve bed,
from which, at the end of the first summer, or in the
following spring, they may be transplanted to the place
where they are to flower. It is well to give the seedlings
some protection the first winter, not because they are not
hardy, but to prevent them from being thrown out of the
soil by frequent freezing and thawing. A covering of
evergreen boughs is most suitable ; but if these are not
at hand, use coarse hay or other litter, first laying down
some brush, to keep the covering from matting down
upon them.
196 GARDENIKG FOR PLEASURE.
Aconitum Napellus Monkshood.
" " variegatum ..Variegated Monkshood.
Anemone Japonica Japan Windflower.
" " war. ^oworijzejb&er^.. White Japan Windflower.
" Pulsatilla Pasque Flower.
Aquilegiaalpina Alpine Columbine.
" ccerulea .Rocky Mountain Columbine.
" chrysantJia Golden-spurred Columbine.
'' vulgaris Garden Columbine.
Asperula odorata Woodruff.
Astilbe Japonica (Incorrectly Spu-aea.)
Baptisia australis False Indigo.
Campanula Ca^patica. Carpathian Harebell.
" persicifolia Peach-leaved Harebell.
* ' grandiflora Great-flowered Harebell,
and others.
Cassia 3Iarilandica Wild Senna.
Clematis erecta Upright Clematis.
' ' integrifolia Entire-leaved Clematis.
Colchicum autumnale Meadow Saffron.
Convallaria tnajalis Lily of the Valley.
Chrysanthemum, V?iinese and Japanese..
The grand hybrid varieties of the Chrysanthemum now run into thou-
sands, of almost eveiy shade except blue and bright scarlet. They are
hardy in nearly all sections south of Baltimore, and on light, well-drained
soils, in nearly all sections of the country, if covered with four or five
inches of leaves or litter late in the fall.
Delphinium elatum Bee Larkspur.
' * nudicaule Scarlet Larkspur,
and others.
Dianthus plumarius Garden Pink.
" superhv.'i .- .Fringed Pink.
Dicentra eximia.. Plumy Dicentra.
" spectdbilis - -Bleeding Heart.
Dictamnus Fraxinella .Fraxinella.
Dodecatheon 3Ieadia American Cowslip.
Eranthis hiemalis Winter Aconite.
Erica carnea Winter Heath.
Funlcia ovata Blue Plantain Lily.
" Japonica {suhcordata) Japan Plantain Lily.
Gypsophila paniculala. Panicled Gypsophila.
HellchoriLS niger. .Christmas Rose.
Hepatica triloba .Liver-leaf.
" " fl- pl Double-flowered Liver-leai.
Iheris Gihraltarica Gibraltar Candytuft.
* * sempervirens Perennial Candytuft.
Iris Germanica German Iris.
HARDY HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS. 197
Iris Iberica Iberian Iris.
" Kcempferi. - Japan Iris.
" pumila .Dwarf Iris,
and many others of a great range of colors.
Lathyrus, perennial Flowering Pea.
Liatris spicata Blazing Star.
" squarrosa .Blazing Star,
and others.
Lilium auratum Gold-banded Lily.
This, with raany other Japanese species in the catalogues, is per-
fectly hardy, and there should be a good collection of them in every
garden.
Linumperenne - . .Perennial Flax.
Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower.
This native (also its hybrids) does perfectly well in the soil of the
garden.
Lupinuspolyphyllus Many-leaved Lupine.
Lychnis Chalceclonica Scarlet Lychnis,
and several others.
Lysimachia nicmmularia. Moneywort.
Mertemia Virginica Virginia Lungwort.
Myosotis palusiris Forget-me-not.
" Azorica Azorean Forget-me-not.
* ' dissitiflora Early Forget-me-not.
Narcissus bijlorus Twin-flowered Nai'cissus.
" poeticus - Poet's Narcissus.
*♦ Jonquilla .Jonquil,
* * Pseudo- Narcissus Daffodil,
in double and single varieties.
(Ejiothera MissouHensis Missouri Evening Primrose.
PcBonia officinalis Common Pseony,
and the various hybrids of this and other species, of which there are
many fine named sorts.
PcBonia tenuifoha - - -Fennel-leaved Poeony.
" Moutan Tree Paeony,
of which there are many named varieties.
Papaver Oricntale Oriental Poppy.
Ptntstemongrandiflorus. Large-flowered Pentstemon.
" barbatus var. Torreyi .Torrey's Pentstemon.
♦' Palmeri Palmer's Pentstemon,
and several other hardy species.
Phlox, herbaceous Garden Phlox.
Under this head a great number of named varieties may be had. New-
ones are offered every year, and a good selection of colors malies a grand
show.
Phlox subulata Moss Pink.
Also the white variety.
398 GARDEXIK'G FOR PLEASURE.
Iblemonmm reptans Jacob's Ladder.
* ' coeruleum Greek Valerian.
Primula veris English Cowslip.
This and the Polyanthus varieties need a moist and shady place.
P. cortusoides is hardy, and P, Japonica probably so.
Pijrethrum carneum. .Rosy Pyrethrum,
the new double varieties.
Saxifraga crassifolia Thick-leaved Saxifrage,
' ' cordifolia Heart -leaved Saxifi*age.
Sedum acre Stonecrop.
" Sieboldii {and varieyata) Siebold's Stonecrop.
" pidchellum Beautiful Stonecrop.
" spsddbile Showy Stonecrop,
and a large number of others, presenting a great variety in foliage and
flowers.
Sempervivum arachnoideum Cobweb Houseleek.
'* calcareum (Ca?ifo;'wicMm)-Purple-tipped Houseleek.
" tectorum Common Houseleek.
Of these curious plants there are more that fifty species in cultivation,
and all perfectly hardy ; useful on rock work.
Spircea filipendula (and double) Drop wort.
" palmaia Palmate Spirsea.
" Ulmaria Meadow Sweet.
" lobata ---Queen of the Meadow.
Symphytum officbiale var .Variegated Comfrey.
Thalictrum mbius. Maiden-hah Meadow Rue.
Tritoma tivaria (and vars.) Red-hot Poker,
needs covering in winter with litter.
Tunica Saxifraja Rock Tunica.
Titcca fllamentosa.. Adam's Thi-ead or Needle.
PEREX^nAL ORNAMENTAL, GRASSES.
1. Arundo Donax .Great Reed.
2. " " versicolor.. Variegated Reed.
3. " conspicica Silvery Reed.
4. EHanthus liavennce - -Ravenna Grass.
5. Eulalia Japonica variegata Japan Eulalia.
6. ** " zebrina Japan Zebra Eulalia.
7. Fcstuca glauca .Blue Fescue Grass.
8. Oyncrinm argenteum Pampas Grass.
9. Panicicm virgatum. -Wand-like Panic.
10. P/ialaris arundinacea picta Ribbon Grass.
11. Stipa pennata Feather Grass.
In the climate of New York, Nos. 1, 2 and 8 need protection; Nos. 1 and
2 by litter over the roots, and No 8 by covering it with a cask or box. In
the order of their hight, No. 7 is 6 inches, 10 and 11 a foot, 5 and 6, 4 to 8
feet, and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 from 6 to 12 feet, according to the age of the plants.
FLOWERS WHICH WILL GROW IX THE SHADE. 199
CHAPTER XXXITI.
FLOWERS WHICH WILL GROW IN THE SHADE.
There are few plants that will flower in places from
which sunshine is entirely excluded. Some plants will
grow well enougli, developiug shoots and leaves, but
flowers oi nearly all kinds must have some sunshine. Of
those that do well and flower when planted out in the
open ground where sunlight only comes for two or three
hours during the day, may be named the following :
Calceolarias, Fuchsias, Lobelias, Herbaceous Phloxes,
Pansies, Forget-me-nots, Lily of the Valley, and other
lierbaceous plants and shrubs whose native habitat is
shady woods. Perhaps a better effect is produced in
such situations by ornamental leaved plants, such as
Cbleuses of all kinds, Amaranths, Achyranthes, Caladi-
nms, Cannas, and other plants with highly colored or
ornamental leaves. With these may be combined the
different styles of whits or grajMeaved plants, such as
Centaureas, Cinerarias, and Gnaphaliums, plants known
under the general popular terra of ^' Dusty Millers."
For our own part, we much prefer to devote shaded siti-
ations to such plants, rather than to see the abortive at-
tempts to produce flowers mide by phmts in positiqns
where there is no sunshine. It may be here remarked,
that the cultivator of plants in rooms should understr^nd
the necessity of sunlight to plants that are to, flqwer, and
endeavor to get them as near as possible tq a window hay-
ing an eastern or a soutliern aspect. The higher the
temperature, the more plants suffer for the want of light.
Many plants, such as Gerar^iun^s, Fuchsias, or Roses,
might remain in a temperature of forty degrees, in a
cellar for example, away from direct light, for months
without material injury, while jf the cellar contained a
200 GARDENIl^G FOR PLEASURE.
furnace teeping up a temperature of seventy degrees,
they would all die before the Avinter was ended, particu-
larly if the plants were of a half-hardy nature. If trop-
ical species, they might stand it better ; but all plants
quickly become enfeebled when kept at a high tempera-
ture and away from the light.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
INSECTS AND OTHER PARASITES INJURIOUS TO
PLANTS.
When insects attack plants in the greenhouse, parlor,
or anywhere under cover, we can geoerally manage to
get them under control; but when they attack plants in
the open air, it is, according to our experience, diflScult
to destroy them. Insects are injurious to plants in the
open air in two principal ways : some attack the branches
and leaves, and others infest the roots. When insects
attack the roots of a plant, we have been able to do but
little to stop their ravages. We can manage somewhat
better with those attacking the leaves, but even this di-
vision of the enemy is often too much for us. As a pre-
ventive, we would strongly advise that birds of all kinds
should be encouraged. Since the European Sparrows
have favored us with their presence in such numbers, in-
sects of nearly all kinds have much decreased. Most
people will remember the disgusting ^* measuring worm"
tlmt festooned the shade trees in New York, Brooklyn,
and other cities twenty years ago. These made their exit
almost in proportion to the increase of Sparrows, and
they are certainly lessened from what they were before
the introduction of the Sparrow. The same is true of
the Rose Slug. In my Rose grounds, a few years ago,
we were obliged to employ a number of boys for weeks
INSECTS AND OTHER PARASITES. 201
during the summer to shake off and kill the Rose Slug,
in order to keep the plants alive ; but since we have
had the Sparrows in such numbers, hardly one of these
pests is now seeu. An examination of the crop of a
Sparrow killed in July showed that it contained Eose
Slugs, Aphis, or green fly, and the seeds of chickweed
and other plants, proving beyond question the fact that
they are promiscuous feeders. The Rose Slug {Selanclria
roscB)f referred to above, is a light green, soft insect,
varying from one-sixteenth of an inch to nearly an inch
in length. There are apparently two species or varieties,
one of which eats only the cuticle of the lower side of
the leaf, the other eats it entire. The first is by far the
more destructive here. In a few days after the plants
are attacked they appear as if they had been burned. The
Rose Chaffer {Macrodactylus subspinosus) gets its name
from the preference it shows for the buds and blossoms
of the Rose, though it is equally destructive to the
Dahlia, Aster, Balsam, and many other flowers, and es-
pecially grape blossoms.
An excellent application for the prevention of the rav-
ages of the Rose Chaffer or the Rose Slug, which attack
the hardy or June Roses, is whale-oil soap dissolved in
the proportion of one pound to eight gallons of water.
This, if steadily applied twice a week witn a syringe on
Rose plants, before the leaf has developed in spring, will
entirely prevent the attacks of the insects. Another
remedy is to mix an ounce of Paris green in one hundred
gallons of water, and syringe as advised with the whale-
oil soap. It will be observed that the quantity of Paris
green advised is very small to be mixed in such a quan-
tity of water ; but it is found to be ample. We find,
however, that if the Slug once gets fairly at work, either
remedy is powerless unless used so strong as to injure the
leaves.
The Rose Bug, so called (Aramigus Fulleri), is the
203 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
most destructive of all insects attacking the Rose while
forcing in winter ; for its ravages are so insidious that
often the whole Eose house is ruined before it is known,
by inexperienced hands, what is the matter. The per-
fect iusect somewhat resembles a small cockroach, but is
of a grayish brown color. It is not easily observed, as it
keeps always under the leaves or close to the stems of the
plant, audits presence is usually first noticed by half cir-
cular pieces being bitten from the edges of the leaves; but
it does comparatively little harm in that way. It is when
it deposits its eggs in the soil close to the roots that the
danger begins. The eggs in a few weeks hatch out into
larvae, which at once attack, and, if in sufficient num-
bers, entirely destroy the roots of the Rose. So far there
is no known remedy against the Rose Bug, unless it be to
carefully search for and destroy the perfect insect on the
plant. In our own establishment we have got entirely
free from it by persistent care in destroying the insect by
picking it fi'om the plants. When the soil has become
infested by the larvae or maggots of the Rose Bug, there
is no remedy. The plants, soil, and even the benches of
the greenhouse had better be taken out and burned if the
insect is there in great numbers. Before we understood
how to manage it, ou one occasion we threw out and
destroyed the plants, soil, and benches in a Rose house
three hundred feet long by twenty feet wide. Hundreds
of amateurs, and even professional florists, fail in grow-
ing Ro3e buds in winter from no other cause than the
ravages of this insect.
Green Fly, or Aphis, is one of the most common, but,
fortunately, most easily destroyed, of any insect that in-
fests plants, either in-doors or out. In our greenhouses,
as already stated, we fumigate twice a week, by burning
about half a pound of refuse tobacco stems (made damp)
to every five hundred square feet of glass surface ; but in
private greenhouses, or on plants in rooms, fumigating is
IXSECTS AND OTHER PARASITES. 203
often impracticable. Then the tobacco stems can be
used by steeping one pound in five gallons of water, until
the water gets to be the color of strong tea. This liquid,
applied over and under the leaves with a syringe, will de-
stroy the insect quite as well as by fumigating, only in
either case the application should be made before the
insects are seen, to prevent their coming rather than to
destroy them when established ; for often by neglect they
get a foothold in such legions that all remedies become
ineffectual to dislodge them. Another means of prevent-
ing the green fly is to apply tobacco in the shape of dust,
or the sweepings of tobacco warehouses, which can be
found for sale in most seed or agricultural establish-
ments, at a cost of five to ten cents per pound. This, ap-
plied once or twice a week to an ordinary sized private
greenhouse, would effectually prevent any injury from
green fly. No special quantity of this need be prescribed,
as all that is necessary is to see that it is so dusted on
that it reaches all parts of the plant and on both sides of
the leaves. It it best to slightly syringe the plants be-
forehand, so that the dust will adhere to the leaves.
When applied to plants out-doors, it should be done in
the morning when the dew is on. Fruit-trees of many
kinds, shrubs, Roses of all kinds. Chrysanthemums,
and many other plants grown out of doors, are particu-
larly liable to injury from some species of Aphis ; but
the application of tobacco dust, if made in time, will be
found a cheap and effectual remedy.
Ground or Blue Aphis is a close relative of the preced-
ing, but it gets its living from the roots down in the soil,
while the Green and Black Aphis feed in the air on the
leaves. The Blue Aphis attacks a great many varieties of
plants, particularly in hot, dry weather ; and whenever
Asters, Verbenas, Petunias, Centaureas, or such plants
begin to droop, it will be found on examination, in three
cases out of four, that the farthest extremities of their
204 GARDE]S^ING FOR PLEASURE.
roots are completely surrounded by the Blue Aphis. The
only remedy we have ever found for this pest is a strong
decoction of tobacco, made so strong as to resemble black
coffee in color. The earth around the plants must be
soaked with this, so that the lowest roots will be reached.
The tobacco water will not hurt the plants, but will be
fatal to the insect, and, if it has not already damaged
the roots to too great an extent, may prove a remedy.
Ants. — These are not usually troublesome in the open
ground, unless on lawns. (For remedies there see Chap-
ter on ^"Lawns.") In greenhouses, however, they are one
of the worst pests, not so much from the injury they do
themselves as by their carrying mealy bug, green fly, and
other insects, so that from one plant thus affected the
ants will soon distribute them over all the plants in the
greenhouse. A simple method we have found to get rid
of them, is to lay fresh bones around the infested plants.
They will leave everything to feed on these, and when
thus accumulated may be easily destroyed. Another
method is to blow Pyretlirum or Persian Insect Powder
over them with a bellows. They are killed at once if the
powder strikes them in a dry state ; but it has no effect
if damp, for, when strewed in their haunts, they run over
it with impunity.
The Red Spider is one of the most insidious enemies
of plants, both when under glass and in the open air in
summer. It luxuriates in a hot and dry atmosphere,
and the only remedy that I can safely recommend to am-
ateurs is copious syringings with water, if in the green-
house, so that a moist atmosphere can be obtained. This,
of course, is not practicable when plants are grown in
rooms, and the only thing that can then be done is to
sponge off the leaves. It is this insect, more than any-
thing else, that makes it so difficult to grow plants in the
dry air of the sitting-room, as it may be sapping the life
blood from a plant, and its owner never discover the
INSECTS AND OTHER PARASITES. 205
cause of his trouble. It is so minute as hardly to be
B§en by the naked eye, but its ravages soon show; and if
the leaves of your plants begin to get brown, an exami-
nation of the under surface of the leaf will usually reveal
the little pests in great numbers. When they get thus
established there is no remedy but to sponge the leaves
thoroughly with water or weak soapsuds.
The Mealy Bug, as it is generally called, is a white
mealy or downy-looking insect, which is often very trou-
blesome among hothouse plants, but rarely does any harm
among those that can live in a cool room. It is a native
of some tropical latitudes, and can only exist in such a
temperature as is required by plants of that class. There
are various remedies used by florists, but the safest is to
use Cole's Insect Destroyer, a remedy that never fails to
destroy this insect, without injury to the plant, when
sprayed on the plants by a barber's atomizer. On a large
scale we find a certain remedy in the use of one pint of
Fir Tree Oil to ten gallons of water, applied by the syringe
once a week. In fact, we find the use of Fir Tree Oil in
this proportion a safe and sure remedy against all insect
life; but its application must be continuous, and at least
once a week.
Brown and White Scale Insects. — These appear as if
lifeless, and adhere closely to the stems of such plants as
Oleanders, Ivies, etc., and, like the Mealy Bug, are best
destroyed by being washed or rubbed off. Remedy, when
on a large scale, is Fir Tree Oil,
TJirips. — This is an insect varying in color from light
yellow to dark brown, and much more active in its move-
ments than the Green Fly, and more difiScult to destroy.
When it once gets a foothold it is very destructive. It
succumbs to tobacco in any of the forms recommended
for the destruction of Green Fly, but not so readily. It
luxuriates m shaded situations, and generally abounds
where plants are standing too thickly together, or where
206 ' GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
TeDtilation or light is deficient. It may be safely as-
serted, that in any well-regulated place where plants are
kept, no injury from this or Green Fly will ever become
serious if due attention has been given to keeping the
atmos})here of the place moist, and using tobacco freely
in any of the forms we have recommended.
The Angle Worm. — This is the common worm seen in
every soil in pots and in the open ground. It is harmless
so far as feeding goes, for it seems never to touch plants
as food ; but it bores and crawls around in a way by no
means beneficial to pot-grown plants. It is, however,
easily dislodged. By slaking a quart of lime and adding
water to make up ten gallons of the liquid, and watering
the plants with it after it has become clear, the caustic
qualities of the lime will be quickly fatal to the worm.
When troublesome in the open ground, sow slaked lime
on the dug or plowed surface about as thickly as sand
is strewn on a floor, and rake or harrow it in, so as to
mix it with the soil. Some writers have asserted that the
Angle Worm benefits the soil by its movements through
it. Few practical gardeners will believe this, as they are
usually destroyed on sight by all workers in the soil.
MILDEW.
Mildew is a parasitical fungus, often seen on green-
house and other plants, and is quickly destructive to
their health. But, as with all other plant troubles, it is
best to prevent it rather than cure. Care should be
taken, particularly where Roses or Grapevines are grown
under glass (as both of these are especially liable to be
attacked), to avoid a rapid change of temperature, or a
long exposure to sudden chill by draughts in ventilating.
iVs soon as spots of grayish-white appear on the leaves of
Roses or Grapevines, either out-doors or under glass, it
is certain that mildew is present ; but if it has not been
INSECTS AND OTHER PARASITES. 207
neglected too long, the following preparation will usually
be found a prompt remedy : Take three pounds each of
flowers of sulphur and quick-lime, put together and slake
the lime, and add six gallons of water ; then boil all to-
gether until the liquid is reduced to two gallons, allow it
to settle until it gets clear, and bottle for use. One gill
only of this is to be mixed in five gallons of water, and
syringed over the plants in the evening, taking care not
to use it on the fruit when ripe, as it would communicate
a taste and smell which would render it useless. Applied
in this weak state, it does not injure the leaves, and yet
has the power to destroy the low form of vegetable growth
which we call mildew. We apply it just as we do to-
bacco, once or twice a week, as a preventive; and we
rarely have a speck of mildew. Another remedy, not
quite so good, but easier to get, is to mix one pound of
virgin sulphur with ten pounds of tobacco dust, and
throw this mixture with a bellows on the leaves of Grape-
vines or Roses outside when the dew is on, so that it shall
adhere ; or, if in the greenhouse, after syringing. If
this is done once or twice a week the mildew or aphis
will never get much of a foothold, the sulphur being the
specific against the mildew and the tobacco dust check-
ing the aphis.
These remedies are such as are employed at seasons when
there is no artificial heat used in the greenhouse or the
grapery ; but when fire heat is applied to the flue, steam, or
hot- water pipes, then the most certain preventive of mildew
is to mix lime and sulphur with water to the consistency
of thick whitewash, and apply it to the upper surface of
the hot-water pipes. This can be done with perfect
safety to hot-water pipes, and it had better be done two
or three times during the winter. It can also be safely
applied to steam pipes heated by low pressure steam, if
one-fourth of the surface of the pipe only is covered.
"With flues it should only be applied at the cold end.
208 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
The fumes of sulphur thus slowly evolved by the water
or steam pipes is certain destruction to mildew, and there
is no danger whatever to the foliage if the precautions
given are taken. It is our own practice to wash our hot-
water and steam pipes four or five times during winter
with this sulphur wash.
CHAPTER XXXV.
FROZEN PLANTS.
When by any mishap the plants, whether in parlor or
gi'eenhouse, become frozen, either at once remove them
(taking care not to touch the leaves) to some place warm
enough to be just above the point of freezing ; or, if
there are too many to do that, get up the fire as rapidly
as possible, and raise the temperature. The usual advice
is to sprinkle the leaves and shade the plants from the
sun. We have never found either remedy of any avail
with frozen plants, and the sprinkling is often a serious
injury if done before the temperature is above the freez-
ing point. In our experience with thousands of frozen
plants, we have tried all manner of expedients, and found
no better method than to get them out of the freezing
atmosphere as quickly as possible ; and we have also
found that the damage is in proportion to the succulent
condition of the plant and the intensity of the freezing.
Just what degree of cold plants in any given condition
can endure without injury, we are unable to state. Plants
are often frozen so that the leaves hang down, but when
thawed out are found to be not at all injured. At an-
other time the same low temperature acting on the same
kind of plants may kill them outright if they happen to
be growing more thriftily, and are full of sap. Much
depends on the temperature at which plants have been
MULCHING. 209
growing ; for example, we find, if we have a warm spell
in fall when, for a week or so, the temperature has been
at sixty-five or sevent}^ degrees at night with ten to fifteen
degrees more in the open air, that a slight frost will kill
or greatly injure such half-hardy plants as Carnations,
Geraniums, or monthly Roses ; but should the weather
be such as to gradually get colder, so that the tempera-
ture has been lowered twenty to twenty-five degrees, a
slight frost then coming w^U do little or no injury to
such plants. When the frost is penetrating into a green-
house or room in which plants are kept, and the heating
arrangements are inadequate to keep it out, the best
thing to do is to cover the plants with paper (newspapers)
or sheeting. Thus protected, most plants will be en-
abled to resist four or five degrees of frost. Paper is
rather better than sheeting for this purpose.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
MULCHING.
Litter of any kind placed around newly-planted trees
to prevent evaporation from the soil was the original
meaning of mulch; but it is at present extended to in-
clude a covering of the soil applied at any time, and for
very different purposes. Good cultivators apply hay,
straw, or other litter to the surface of the soil to protect
the roots of certain plants against the action of frost, it
being useful, not so much against freezing as to prevent
the alternate freezing and thawing that is apt to occur
in our variable and uncertain climate, even in mid- win-
ter. As stated under ''Strawberry Culture," the mulch
applied in the fall protects the roots during winter. It
is allowed to remain on the bed, where, if thick enough,
it keeps down weeds, and prevents the evaporation of
210 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
moisture from the soil during the dry time we are apt to
have between the flowering and the ripening of the Straw-
berry. Besides all this, it makes a clean bed for the fruit
to rest upon, and should a driving shower come up as
the fruit is ripening, there is no danger that the berries
will be splashed with mud and spoiled. The utility of a
mulch is not confined to the Strawberry among fruits.
Raspberries and Currants are much benefited by it, and
bv its use a gardener of my acquaintance succeeds in
growing fine crops of the choice varieties of English
Gooseberries, a fruit with which very few succeed in our
hot summers. Newly-planted trees, whether of fruit or
ornamental kinds, are much benefited by a mulch, and
its application often settles the question of success or
failure. We have known a whole Pear orchard to be
mulched, and the owner thought its cost was more than
repaid by saving the fallen fruit from bruises. The root-
ing of a layer is by some gardeners thought to be facili-
tated by placing a flat stone over the buried branch; the
fact being that the stone acts as a mulch, and prevents
the soil around the cut portion from drying out, and
greatly favors the rooting process. Even in the vegetable
garden mulching is found useful, especially with Cauli-
flowers, which find our summers quite too dry.
The material of the mulch is not of much importance,
the effect being mainly mechanical, and one kind of litter
will answer as well as another. The material will be gov-
erned in great measure by locality. Those Hving near
salt water will find salt hay, as hay from the marshes is
called, the most readily procured. Those who live near
pine forests use the fallen leaves, or pine needles, as they
are called. In the grain-growing districts straw is abund-
ant, and nothing can be better. It can be applied more
thoroughly if run through a cutter, though the thrashing
machine often makes it short enough. Leaves are na-
ture's own mulch, and answer admirably. If there is
SHADING. 211
danger of their being blown away, brush laid over them,
or even a little earth sprinkled on them, will keep them
in place. Tan-bark and sawdust may serve for some
uses, but they are very bad for Stra\> berries, their finer
particles being about as objectionable as the soil. One
of the best materials to use for Strawberry mulching is
the green grass mowed from lawns. This, applied to the
thickness of two or three inches around the roots of
Strawberries or other small fruits, will be found not only
to greatly benefit the crop, particularly in dry weather,
but will save greatly in labor by preventing the growth
of weeds. One of our best private gardeners in the vicin-
ity of New York has adopted this summer mulching with
the grass from the lawn for nearly twenty years, and has
succeeded in growing all kinds of small fruits in the
highest degree of perfection.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
SHADING.
In mulching the object is to prevent evaporation from
the soil, as well as to shield the roots from sudden
changes of temperature. It is often necessary to protect
the whole plant in this respect, and this is accomplished
by shading. Although, on a large scale, we can do
little in the way of shading plants in the open ground,
yet the amateur will often find it of great utility, as
screening will frequently save a recently transplanted
plant, which without it would be quite ruined by a few
hours' exposure to the sun. For shading small plants in
the border, such as transplanted annuals, a few shingles
will be found very useful. One or two of these can be
stuck in the ground so as to completely protect the deli-
212 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
cate plant, and yet not deprive it of air. Six-inch boards
of half-inch stuff nailed together to form a V shaped
trough are very useful in the garden. They are handy
to place over small plants during cold nights, and may
be turned over and set to make a screen against strong
winds, or used for shading plants in rows.
Seedlings often suffer from the heat of the sun in the
middle of the day; the seedlings of even the hardiest forest
trees are very delicate when young. The seeds of such trees
when sown naturally almost always fall where the young
plant will be shaded, and the amateur who experiments
in this very interesting branch of horticulture, the rais-
ino- of eversfreen and deciduous trees and shrubs from
seed, will find it necessary to imitate Nature, and protect
his young seedlings from the intense heat of the sun.
There are several ways of doing this. If the seeds have
been sown in an open border, let him take twigs about a
foot long, evergreen if they can be had, but, if not, those
from any deciduous tree, and stick them a few inches
apart all over the bed. This will give the seedlings very
much such a protection as they would naturally have had
in the shade of other plants ; and though evergreens will
look better for a while, the dead leaves of deciduous
twigs will give quite as useful a shade.
It is always safer to sow seeds in a frame, as the young
plants are then under more complete control. Frames
are easily shaded by means of a lattice made of common
laths. Strips of inch stuff, an inch and a half or two
inches wide, are used for the sides of the lattice, and
laths are nailed across as far apart as their own width.
One lath being nailed on, another is laid down to mark
the distance, the third one put down and nailed, and the
second lath is moved along to mark the distance for the
fourth, and so on. With a screen of this kind there is
abundant light, but the sun does not shine long at a
time on one spot, and the plants have a constantly chang-
SHADING. 213
ing sun and shade. This lath screen may be used for
shading plants in the open ground, if supported at a
proper hight above them. In a propagating house,
where it is necessary, as it often is, to shade cuttings, a
lattice laid upon the outside of the glass answers a good
purpose. The laths are sometimes tied together with
strong twine, the cord answering the place of slats, and
serving as a warp with which the laths are woven ; the
advantage of a screen of this kind being that it can be
rolled up. Another and excellent screen to shade is to
make frames three by six feet of the '* Protecting Cloth"
already alluded to in the chapter on ** Greenhouses or Pits
without Artificial Heat." Plants kept in windows dur-
ing summer months will, if in a sunny exposure, require
some kind of a shade, and if the one provided to keep
the sun from the room shuts out too much light, or ex-
cludes air as well as sun, something must be provided
which will give protection during the heat of the day,
and still allow sufficient light and an abundant circu-
lation of air. Any one with ingenuity can arrange a
screen of white cotton cloth to answer the purpose.
The old practice of stripping the greenhouse in sum-
mer is falling into disuse. By a proper selection of
plants and sufficient shade, it is made as attractive then
as at any other season ; but even for tropical plants the
glass must be shaded. For a small lean-to, a screen of
light canvas, muslin, or the ** Protecting Cloth," ar-
ranged upon the outside, so tliat it may be wound up
on a roller when not wanted, will answer ; and if it be de-
sired to keep the house as cool as possible, this should be
so contrived that there will be a space of six inches or so
between that and the glass. But upon a large house, or
one with a curvilinear roof, this is not so manageable,
and the usual method is to coat the glass with some ma-
terial which will obstruct a part of the light. The most
common method is to give the outside of the glass a coat
214 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
of lime whitewash made very thin. This makes a suffi-
cient shade, and is gradually dissolved by the rains, so that
by autumn the coating is removed, or so nearly so that
what remains may be readily washed off. A more pleasant
effect is produced by spattering the glass with a prepara-
tion of naphtha and white lead, made so thin as to resem-
ble skimmed milk. This can be put on by a syringe at a
cost not to exceed twenty-five cents for every thousand
square feet of glass. It is best to put it on gradually, be-
ginning in May by lightly covering the glass in numer-
ous fine drops, like rain drops, and increasing its thickness
as the season advances.
Whatever may be the means of effecting it, we find
that in this latitude shading of some kind is required
from about the first of May to the middle of September
by nearly all plants grown under glass. Ferns, Lycopods,
Caladiums, Primulas, Fuchsias, Begonias, Gloxinias,
Achimenes, Lobelias, Smilax, and plants of that charac-
ter require the glass to be heavily shaded, while Roses,
Carnations, Bouvardias, Poinsettias, Geraniums of all
kinds, and nearly all succulent plants, do not need so
much. The method of spattering the glass outside with
the preparation of naphtha and white lead, allows the
shading to be light or heavy, as required. When first
done, it is spattered very thinly, merely to break the
strong glare of the sun, just about thick enough to half
cover the surface. As the season advances, the spatter-
ing should be repeated to increase the shade, but at no
time for the plants last mentioned do we entirely cover
the glass. In Fjugland, especially for Fern houses,
Brunswick green mixed with milk is used, to give a
green shade, which is thought to be best suited to these
plants. The blue glass for greenhouses which was so
highly lauded a few years ago has not met with much
favor ; but recent experiments in glazing with ground
glass have given such results as to warrant the use of it
THE LAW OF COLOR IX FLOWERS. 215
on houses in which nearly all kinds of plants are grown,
except Roses, Grapes, Strawberries, or other plants the
flowers and fruit of which are wanted in midwinter.
At that season all the light possible is required ; and al-
though ground glass but slightly obscures the light, yet
it is found that it does not answer so well as clear glass
from the middle of December to the middle of January.
Before or after these dates it can be used to advantage
for any greenhouse purpose.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
THE LAW OF COLOR IN FLOWERS.
I REFER to this matter in the hope that it may be the
means of saving some of my readers, not only from being
duped and swindled by a class of itinerant scamps that
annually reap a rich harvest in disposing of impossibili-
ties in flowers, but that I may assure them of the utter
improbability of their ever seeing such wonders as these
fellows offer, thereby saving them from parting with
money for worthless objects, and from the ridicule of
their friends who are already better advised. This sub-
ject cannot ba too often brought before our amateur hor-
ticulturists. Warnings are given year after year in lead-
ing agricultural and other journals devoted to gardening,
vet a new crop of dupes is always coming up, who readily
fall victims to the scoundrels who live upon their credu-
lity. Not a season passes but some of these swindling
dealers have the audacity to plant themselves right in
the business centers of our large cities, and hundreds of
our sharp business men glide smoothly into their nets.
The very men who will chuckle at the misfortunes of a
poor rustic when he falls into the hands of a mock
216 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
auctioneer, or a pocket-book dropper, will freely pay ten
dollars for a rose plant of which a picture has been shown
them as having a blue flower ; the chance of its coming
blue being about equal to the chance that the watch of the
mock auctioneer will be gold. It has long been known
among the best observers of such matters, that in certain
families of plants particular colors prevail, and that in
no single instance can we ever expect to see hluey yelloiUf
and scarlet colors in varieties of the same species. If any
one at all conversant with plants will bring any family of
them to mind, it will at once be seen how undeviatiug is
this law. In the Dahlia we have scarlet and yellow, but
no approach to blue, and so in the Rose, Hollyhock, etc.
Again, in the Verbena, Salvia, etc., we have scarlet and
blue, but no yelloio ! In the Hyacinth we have blue and
a fairly good yellow, but no scarlet. Some have con-
tended that in this family we have the combination, for
of course we have crimson ; but crimson is not scarlet any
more than blue is purple. If we reflect it will be seen
that there is nothing out of the order of Nature in this
arrangement. We never expect to see among our poul-
try, with their varied but somber plumage, any assume
the azure hues of our spring Blue-bird or the dazzling
tints of the Oriole ; why, then, should Ave expect Nature
to step out of what seems her fixed laws, and give us a
blue Rose, a blue Dahlia, or a yellow Verbena ?
CHAPTER XXXIX.
HUMBUGS IN HORTICULTURE.
A PAPER under this head was read by me at a meeting
of the National Association of Nurserymen and Florists
held at Chicago, 111., June 16th, 1880; and although it
has already in part been published in my work, " Garden
and Farm Topics,'' yet I take the liberty of again repeat-
HUMBUGS IN HORTICULTURE. 317
ing the main parts of it here, in the hope that it may be
the means of preventing mj amateur readers (those who
•are ^'gardening for pleasure") from falling into the
many traps set for them by those who make a business
of swindling in trees, plants, seeds, or fertilizers.
The lifetime experience of any man is not too short
to be imposed upon by many of the hundreds of old va-
rieties of fruits, flowers, or vegetables that are sent out
annually under new names. Any well-posted nursery-
man can easily detect when a Bartlett Pear or a Baldwin
Apple appears under a new name ; or a florist, making a
specialty of Roses, knows, as, for example, when, some
years ago, the old Solfaterre Rose was sent out under the
name of " Augusta" (claiming it to be hardy in every State
of the Union, and sold as a great bargain at five dollars
apiece), that the venders thereof were either swindlers or
entirely ignorant of the business they had embarked in ;
or when the confiding market gardener is induced to buy
a new and superior Cabbage or Tomato seed at five dollars
an ounce, and finds them identical with varieties that he
can buy at half that price per pound, he has good reason to
come to the conclusion that the man from wliom he pur-
chased was either a humbug or else unfitted, from his
ignorance, to engage in the business of a seedsman.
But, unfortunately, from the varied nature of these
impostures, it is exceedingly difficult to mete out justice
to those who, knowingly or otherwise, place such swindles
on the horticultural community; for the man who grows
fruit trees is as likely to know as little about Roses as the
man who grows Roses is to know about fruit trees, and
either is less likely to be posted on the merits of vege-
tables. So, then, if the partly experienced horticulturist
may be imposed upon in such a way, how safe is the
field when the swindler tries his tricks upon the general
public ?
The sharp man of the city falls as quickly into the
218 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
trap of the horticultural swindler as the veriest rustic, be-
cause his city experience of impostures in other matters
helps him nothing in this. He may not be much trou-
bled when he sees a bootblack fall off the dock into the
river, particularly if his companion plays off the heroic
role, and plunges in after him to the rescue. He under-
stands it all, for both can swim like ducks, and there was
no more danger for the first than for the second, and
none for either. A well-stuffed pocket-book snatched
from under his feet is an incident that does not in the
least arouse his cupidity, for he has long been conversant
with the trick of the pocket-book dropper. The mock
auctioneer may scream himself hoarse, offering gold watches
at five dollars apiece, and it hardly elicits a smile of
derision. The tears of the benighted orphan in search
of his uncle does not bring a dime from his pocket, for
he understands it all, together with a score more of the
tricks of the greab city. But in the springtime, when
his garden instincts begin to bud, and he sees in some
window in Broadway flaming representations of fruits
and flowers, he falls into the trap and is ready for the
spoiler.
Some years ago I had occasion to act as an amateur
detective in one of these horticultural swindling shops,
the owners of which, are now known in New York as the
*'Blue Eose Men." When I arrived, there were at least
a dozen ladies and gentlemen engaged in buying seeds,
bulbs, and plants, the flowers and fruits of which were
represented by the pictures on the walls : for example,
Asparagus was shown as having shoots as thick as a
broom handle, the seeds of which were selling rapidly at
one cent apiece, warranted to produce a crop in three
months from the time of sowing. An old lady had just
become the possessor of five dollars' worth, and seemed
delighted with her bargain.
One of the most attractive pictures on the wall was
HUMBUGS IN HORTICULTURE. 219
an immense colored engraving, showing a tree, on which
Strawberries were growing, and as big as Oranges. My
gaze was attracted to a handsome plate of Bhie Moss
Roses, and I modestly asked the price of the plants. The
polite Frenchman (who was doing the principal selling
for the concern) whisked out from beneath the table
three plants, representing them to be Moss Roses (which,
by-the-way, were all alike, and were all our common
Prairie Rose), and said, **This one, he bloom only once,
I tell you the truth, so I sell him for two dollar. This
one, he be the Remontant, he bloom twice — just twice —
I sell him for three dollar ; but this one, he be the ever-
blooming, perpetual Blue Moss Rose, he bloom all the
time, he cheap at five dollars." I quietly remarked, if
it bloomed all the time, why was it not blooming now ?
He looked at me pityingly, and said, ** My dear sir, you
expect too much. These Moss Rose just come over in
the ship from Paris. You take him home and plant
him, and he bloom right away, and he keep on bloom-
ing." I did not take him home, but 1 took the story,
something in the shape it is now told, and had it pub-
lished in one of the leading New York papers, and in
less than a week the ** Blue Rose Men " had pulled up
stakes, but, no doubt, to pitch their camp somewhere
else, and set their traps for fresh victims. The '^ Blue
Rose Men" are very impartial in their wanderings, and
rarely omit a city of any size, beginning usually in New
Orleans in January, running northward, and ending up
with Philadelphia, New York, and Boston through April
and May.
These humbugs in horticulture have their comical side.
A few years ago, in passing St. Paul's Church (Broad w^ay).
New York, I saw an old negro squatted on the pavement
with a great bundle of plants, carefully mossed up, lying
alongside of him. On inquiring what they were, he said
they were Rose bushes ; Rose bushes having all the good
220 gardenijh^g for pleasure.
things wanted in a Rose, fragrance, hardinecs, and eyer-
blooming, and the price but fifty cents apiece. He had
got them, he said, from the boss, and was selling them on
a commission. The poor darkey was only an innocent
agent. He no doubt believed he was selling Rose bushes,
but the boss, whoever he might be, undoubtedly knew
better, for the plants were not Roses at all, but the com-
mon Cat Brier (Smilax sarsaparilla), one of the worst
pests of our hedgerows, but the plant of which is near
enough in appearance to a Rose to deceive the ordinary
city merchant.
That same season at every prominent street corner
could be seen the venders of the ** Alligator Plant,'*
which some enterprising genius cut by the wagon load
from the Jersey swamps, and dealt them out to those
who retailed them on the street.
The " Alligator Plant" was sold in lengths of twelve
to twenty inches, at from twenty-five to fifty cents apiece,
according to its straightness and length ; and by the
number engaged in the business, hundreds of dollars*
worth must have been sold. The " Alligator Plant " is
the rough, triangular branches of the Sweet Gum Tree
{Liquidamhar styraciflua), common in most parts of the
country. There is no doubt whatever that these pieces
of stick have been planted by thousands during the last
six years in the gardens in and around New York, with
about as much chance of their growing as the fence
pickets or paving stones.
The bulb peddlers, a class of itinerant swindlers, de-
serve brief attention. They have always some wonderful
novelty in bulbs ; and their mode of operating, to the
uninitiated, has a semblance of fairness, as they are lib-
eral fellows, and frankly offer to take one-half cash on
delivery, and if the goods do not come up to the repre-
sentation, the other half need not be paid. For example,
when the Gold-banded Japan Lily was first introduced.
HUMBUGS IN HORTICULTURE. 221
bulbs the size of hickory nuts sold at two hundred and
fifty dollars per hundred. About that time one of these
worthies came along with samples of a Lily of fine size
and appearance, which, he said, he had just received
from Japan. There was no doubt of its genuineness, for
tie had seen it in flower. He had a large stock, and would
sell at one hundred dollars per hundred, but he was
willing to take half that amount down, and the other
half when the bulbs flowered and had proved correct. They
did not prove correct, and he never called. The bulb he
sold was the common White Lily {Lilium candidum),
which is sold everywhere at five or six dollars per hun-
dred. These same scamps flood the rural districts every
year with blue Gladiolus, scarlet Tuberoses, and other
absurdities in bulbs and seeds, usually on the same terms
of one-half cash down, the other half when the rara avis
has feathered out. The present season (1887), one of these '
worthies found out that the flowers of Tuberoses and
Lily of the Valley, by being placed in red or blue ink,
would in an hour or two absorb enough of the ink
to make them a beautiful blue or red. Carrying the
colored flowers with him, having the shape, fragrance, and
general appearance of the actual flowers of these bulbs,
he was successful in selling hundreds of dollars' worth of
these wonderful novelties, at ten times their actual value.
It is needless to say that they never try it twice on the
same victim, but avail themselves of our broad continent
to seek out new fields for their operations.
One of the most successful swindlers of this type was
Comanche George, whose fame became almost national.
George made his advent in New York in 1876. He waa,
he said, a Texas scout, and for years his rifle, revolver,
and bowie knife had been the terror of the red men; but
one day, in his rambles on the lone Texas prairies, his
eye was arrested by a flower, whose wonderful coloring
eclipsed the rainbow, and whose delicate perfume was
222 GARDEI^'ING FOR PLEASITEE.
wafted over the Brazos for leagues ; in short, never before
had eye of mortal rested on such a flower. The man of
war was subdued. He betook himself to the peaceful
task of gathering seed, and turned his steps to the haunts
of civilized man to distribute it. We first heard of him
in Washington, where he wished to place it in the hands
of the government, and accordingly offered it to Mr.
William Smith, Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens
there ; but the government, being short of funds, so Smith
said, was not just then in a position to buy, and with
his advice George trimmed his *' sales "for New York
and a market. His success in Baltimore and Philadelphia
was so great (where he started the sale of the seeds at two
cents apiece) that it induced him, when he struck New
York, to advance the price to five cents a seed. He put
up at one of the best hotels, and claimed that for a month
his sales of the seed of the Cockatelle — the beautiful
Texas flower — reached fifty dollars a day. But his success
threw liim off his balance. He took to fire water, and in
an unguarded moment fell into the hands of a newspaper
man, who extracted from him all the facts connected
with the enterprise. George never was a scout, had
never been in Texas, but he had been a good customer to
the various seedsmen of the different cities, where his
purchases of Okra or Gumbo seed, at about fifty cents a
pound, had made nearly a dearth of the article. His
victims (whose names he gave by the score, and which
were duly chronicled in the newspaper article referred
to) were from all classes : the enterprising florist, who
secretly went into it in a wholesale way, with a view to
outwit his less fortunate fellows ; the grandee of Fifth
Avenue, who • anticipated a blaze of beauty on his lawn ;
the hotel man, whose window boxes were to perfume the
air ; all had fallen easy victims to the wiles of Comanche
George. George disappeared from New York, though
there is but little doubt that his business had been too
HUMBUGS IK HORTICULTURE. 223
successful for him to abandon it. A newspaper para-
graph which reads as follows, looks as if it might be the
Texas scout in a somewhat different role :
*'The prepossessing appearance, gentlemanly demeanor,
and foreign accent of the man who called himself Carlo
Corella, botanist to the Court of Brazil, convinced a
number of wealthy San Francisco ladies that he was
truthful. He said to each that the failure of a remittance
compelled him to sell some rare bulbs of Brazilian Lilies,
which he had intended to present to Mrs. R. B. Hayes.
'The flower,' says the Clironicle, 'was to be a great scar-
let bell, with ecra ruchings on the petals, a solferino frill
around the pistil, and a whole bottle of perfumery in
each stamen.' He sold about fifty almost worthless
bulbs at four dollars each."
Nurserymen are no doubt better posted in the swindles
practiced in their particular department than I am ; but
operators engage in different lines in different parts of
the country; for example, we have never yet seen in the
Eastern States any one trying to sell an apple tree bear-
ing blue apples as big as melons, as we were told, at our
meeting at Cleveland, had been successfully done in
Ohio and Hlinois. Still we have men of fair ability in
the nursery swindling line, one of whom last winter suc-
ceeded in disposing of hundreds of '* winter-bearing
grapes," by carrying with him a few good bunches of
the white Malaga of the shops.
One great detriment, not only to the florist, but to the
purchaser, is begotten of these swindles in horticulture.
The purchaser of flowers in our markets must have his
plants in bloom, because he has been at times so swindled
that he must now see what he buys. In New York, the
amateur rarely buys from the grower, but from the agent
or middleman who sells in the market stands or street
comers. These, whether men or women, are generally
entirely ignorant of the nature of plants, and most of
224 GAEDEiq-INQ FOR PLEASURE.
them have no responsibility, and they rarely fail to make
their wares accord with the wants of the purchaser :
nearly every plant is hardy, ever-blooming, and has all
the qualities desired by the buyer.
But now and then these swindles become a serious
matter to the victim. Some years ago a typical English-
man, who had been a green grocer in Covent Garden
Market, London, found his way to New York. He at
once discovered an almost entire absence of Cauliflowers
in our markets, and what few there were, were sold at
prices four times those of London. He soon made up
his mind to make his fortune, and, at the same time,
show the Yankees something they did not know. He
duly selected and prepared the ground for an acre, and
one day in May he sallied into the market to procure his
Cauliflower plants. This he found no difficulty in doing,
for at Dutch Peggy's (in those days the headquarters for
all kind of herbs, plants, and seeds) they were to be seen
by the wagon load. Ten thousand were procured (the num-
ber required for his acre), and, duly planted, they began to
grow apace. He had planted the first of May. If it had
been in England, his Cauliflower heads would have been
ready about the first of July; but something was evi-
dently wrong in the Yankee climate. His Cauliflowers
grew through June, through July into August, only to
develop into fine specimens of Drumhead Cabbage, then
of hardly the value he had paid for them as Cauliflower
plants. He got out of the business thoroughly dis-
gusted ; and in telling his sorrowful tale to me a year
afterward, he related that when he went to expostulate
with old Peggy about having blasted his prospects, before
he could get a word said, she recognized him as a cus-
tomer, and demanded to know if he did not again want
some more early Cauliflower plants.
I have said old Peggy was also a vender of seeds. It
is now nearly forty years ago that a young florist pre-
HUMBUGS IN HORTICULTURE. 225
eented himself before her and purchased an ounce of
Mignonette. Ever alive to business, Peggy asked him if
he had tried the new red Mignonette. He protested there
was no such thing, but Peggy's candid manner persuaded
him, and fifty cents were invested. The seed looked
familiar, and when it sprouted it looked more familiar ;
when it bloomed it was far too familiar, for it was Red
Clover. Peggy has long since been gathered to her
fathers, and 1 have entirely forgiven her for selling me
the red Mignonette.
Perhaps there is no swindling that is more extensively
practiced, and which so cruelly injures the operators of
the soil, as that of adulteration in fertilizers. The great
mass of our farmers and gardeners are poor men, who
can ill afford even to pay for the pure fertilizers necessary
to grow their crops, and to pay money and high freights
on adulterations worse than useless, is hard indeed. The
ignorance of those dealing in such wares does much to
spread the evil. A man came into my office last sum-
mer with samples of a fertilizer, nicely put up in cans,
which he claimed could be sold in immense quantities by
the seedsmen, as it had not only the wonderful properties
of invigorating and stimulating all planted crops, but
that it at the same time luould hill all noxious weeds. T
need not say that he had waked up the wrong passenger,
and that he made a rapid movement toward the door.
Yet, notwithstanding the impudence and absurdity of
such a claim, the scamp was enabled to prowl around
the vicinity of New York for weeks, and, undoubtedly,
sold to hundreds. If he had said he had a cannon from
which, when grape shot was fired into a crowd, it killed
only enemies — never friends — the one claim would have
been as reasonable as the other.
There is another species of humbugging, which, though
it can hardly be called swindling, is somewhat akin to
it. I refer to the men who claim to have secrets by which
226 GARDENIJTG FOR PLEASURE.
they can accomplish extraordinary results in the propa-
gation and culture of plants. I can well remember, in
my early days, that the nursery propagator was looked
upon as a sort of demi-god, possessing secrets known
only to himself and a favored few, whose interest it was
to continue to throw dust in the eyes of every young as-
pirant after knowledge. The door of the propagating
house was locked and bolted, as if it were a Bastile, and
even the proprietor (if he were unfortunate enough not
to have practical knowledge) was allowed entrance only
as a special favor ; for his propagator was an autocrat,
of whom he stood in awe and reverence. But since the
advent of horticultural publications in America, particu-
larly during the past fifteen or twenty years, the ^'secrets"
of these pretentious fellows have had such ventilation,
that now nearly every operation of the greenhouse is as
well understood by the tens of thousands engaged in the
business, as the operations of the farm are by the farmer.
The most of these pretenders to this secret knowledge
of horticulture are foreigners, though occasionally a native
tries it on. Some twenty years ago, when the grape-vine
mania was at its hight, an old Connecticut farmer pre-
tended he had discovered a new method of propagating
the grape, which he would impart for a consideration to
the highest bidder. He issued a profusion of hand bills
to the trade, asking for bids, modestly requesting the re-
ceiver of the hand bill to hang it up in a conspicuous
place.
I sent my copy to my friend Meehan, of the Gardener^ s
Monthly, saying that the pages of that magazine were
the most conspicuous place I knew of to comply with the
wish of the old gentleman. Mr. Meehan not only in-
serted the advertisement gratis, and in the most conspicu-
ous manner, but he did more, for he appended below the
advertisement a few remarks I had ventured to make on
the subject. This opened the ball, and for six months
HUMBUGS li^^ HORTICULTURE. • 227
the pages of the Gardener^s Monthly became the battle
ground for the opinions of the ^Miscoverer" and myself.
But the gratuitous advertisement did not avail him much,
for he and his secret soon passed into oblivion, and were
heard from no more. Tiiere are no secrets in horticul-
ture. The laws that govern the germination of a seed,
the rooting of a cutting, or the taking of a bud or graft,
are the same now as they were a thousand years ago, and
anyone pretending to have any secret knowledge in the
matter is either an ignoramus or an imposter.
Since the above was written several other swindlinir
schemes have been perpetrated. Among others, the bulb
man has turned up again. Having for the time being
become too well known in the city, he has betaken him-
self to the rural districts, where he plied his trade last
fall most successfully, finding his victims chiefly among
confiding women. Taking pattern of the** Blue Rose
Man," he has provided himself with gaudy pictures of
impossible Lilies, which ought to deceive none but the
thoughtless or ignorant. As a matter of precaution, it
may be well to describe his methods of operating. His
first move is to learn the names of the wealthiest and best
known people in the neighborhood. He then begins his
canvass, calling at houses where he has reason to believe
none of the male members of the family is at home. He
has just returned from California, w^here he had the
great good fortune to discover three kinds of the most
gorgeous of all Lilies, hitherto entirely unknown, and
now for the first and only time offered for sale. Their
size is immense, the colors gorgeous, and the fragrance
exquisite. No such Lilies have been seen before. He has
sold Mrs. Brown, and Mrs. Smith, and Mrs. Jones
(naming well-known neighbors) bulbs of each of the
three kinds at four and five dollars a bulb ; but as he has
only a few left, and is anxious to get home, he will sell
the remainder at two and three dollars each. His vie-
228 GARDENING FOK PLEASURE.
tims hesitate in doubt a few moments, and then drop
in to the net. I had the pleasure of blocking this feJlow's
operations in one instance, appearing on the scene just in
time to do so. In one locality, within my personal knowl-
edge, this man sold dozens of these bulbs to confiding
victims. I saw some of these '' gorgeous " new California
Lilies when they came into flower, and they were all
neither more nor less than the common white garden Lily
{Lilium candidum), fine bulbs of which can always be
bought for ten or twelve cents each.
Another instance may be mentioned, in which the rogue'
offered for sale, at a dollar a paper, the seed of a variety
of Mignonette even more famous than the red Mignon-
ette of Aunt Peggy before mentioned. .This bore mag-
nificent spikes of flowers, nearly two feet long and of
delicious frasfrance.
A lady friend, one of his victims, carefully sowed the
seeds, and waited anxiously for the appearance of the
plants. The seedlings proved to be so vigorous that she
ventured to separate and transplant them in the open
border. They grew and grew till they finally rivaled in
growth the famous mustard seed mentioned in the good
Book. The reader will probably smile when I tell him
that this famous Mignonette proved to be Pearl Millet,
a kind of grass growing ten feet high. The present
season one of these itinerants is doing a thriving business
by selling common Parsnip seed, which he has caused to
absorb various perfumes. This, supplemented with flam-
ing pictures of Koses of every hue, makes it an easy busi-
ness for him to sell this ''Rose Seed" of any perfume
desired !
The f olio win c^ from the Xew York Tribune of Febru-
ary 19th, 1882, shows that occasionally these enterprising
gentlemen receive their deserts :
''The case of John Harrison, the industrious seed
peddler, who was locked up in Kewark the other day, is
HUMBUGS IK HORTICULTURE. 239
one which calls for commiseration. It was a propitious
season for business in this line, for the near approach of
spring had begun to warm up the desire to worry the
soil and plant something, a desire that slumbers in the
bosom of every man or woman who is the proprietor of a
garden, a back-yard, or even of a flower pot. Our vender
was therefore driving a brisk trade, when he was arrested
for obtaining money under false pretenses. The pre-
tense and falsehood charged were Mr. Harrison's state-
ment that his seeds, when dro]3ped mto water or earth,
would speedily germinate and grow into a Dush, which
would suddenly burst into beautiful and fragrant
bloom, and then bear a rich fruitage of * wash-rags ;' a
crop which at once commended itself to the cleanly and
thrifty housewives of New Jersey. ISTow there is a well-
known vine of the Cucumber family which flourishes in
the West Indies, and bears a gourd-like fruit, the spongy
lining of whose tough shell is used by the simple islanders
to brush their huts with When they have any, and for
toilet and culinary cleansing as well. Mr. Harrison's
descriptions of this vegetable may have been a trifle too
eloquent, but surely a merciful magistrate would con-
sider this nothing more than justifiable professional ex-
aggeration. Any one who has been attacked by a roving
tree agent, armed with a book full of colored lithographic
plates of trees clad with rainbow-hued foliage, and
decorated still further with fruit of marvelous shape and
bulk, will understand that Mr. Harrison is not a unique
sinner, but simply a man who understands his business."
This list of humbugs on horticultural subjects might
be greatly extended, but perhaps enough has been said to
put the intelligent and thoughtful reader on his guard
in the future.
THE FRUIT GARDEN.
231
i
i
PRUNING. 233
CHAPTER XL.
PRUNING.
Though the chapter on pruning is placed at the com-
mencement of that division of the work which treats
upon fruits, the fact must not be lost sight of that prun-
ing is often quite as necessary upon trees and shrubs cul-
tivated for their flowers or foliage as upon those grown
for their fruit. In pruning we cut away some portion
of a tree, shrub, or other plant, for the benefit of that
which remains ; and whether performed upon a branch
six inches through, or upon a shoot so tender as to be cut
by the thumb nail, the object is essentially the same.
The operation, though very simple, is one which the
amateur often fears to undertake ; and having no confi-
dence in his own ability, he often employs some jobbing
gardener, who has no fears on this or any other garden-
ing matter. Pruning is done for Yarious ends, and un-
less one has a definite reason for doing it, he had better
leave it undone. Many have an idea that pruning must,
for some reason, be done every year, just as it used to be
thought necessary for people to be bled every spring,
whether well or ill. We prune to control the shape of a
tree or shrub, and by directing the growth from one part
to another, obtain a symmetrical form, especially in fruit
trees, where it is desirable that the weight of fruit be
equally distributed. In some trees, where the fruit is
borne only on the wood of the previous season, the bear-
ing portions are each year removed further and further
from the body of the tree. In such cases a shortening
of the growth each year will cause the fo;'mation of a
compact head instead of the loose straggling limbs that re-
sult when this is omitted. We prune to renew the vigor
of a plant. The inexperienced cannot understand how
234 GARDENIl^G FOR PLEASURE.
cutting away a third, a half, or even more of a plant can
improve it in vigor and fruitfulness, or abundance and
size of flowers. Let us suppose that a stem which grew
last year has twenty buds upon it. If this is allowed to
take its own course in the spring, a few of the upper
buds will push with great vigor, and form strong shoots ;
while those below will make gradually weaker shoots,
and for probably the lower third of the stem the buds
will not start at all. In fruit trees, as a rule, the most
vigorous growth is at the top. The buds there were the
last formed in the previous summer, are the most excit-
able, and the soonest to grow the next spring, and
getting the start of those below them, they draw the
nourishment to themselves and starve the others. If,
instead of allowing this stem to grow at will in this man-
ner, it had been, before any of the buds started, cut back
so as to leave only a few of the lower ones, those having
an abundance of nutriment would push forth with great
vigor and be nearly equal in size, while the flowers or
fruit borne upon them would be greatly superior to those
upon the unpruned stem. Any one can readily be con-
vinced of the utility of pruning by taking two rose bushes
of equal size, leaving one without any pruning to take
care of itself, and each sj^ring cutting the other back
severely, pruning away one-third or one-half of the wood
that was formed the previous season. The result at the
end of two years will be very striking.
No general rule can be given for pruning. The ama-
teur should use his eyes, and notice the habit of growth
of his trees and shrubs. He will find that many, like the
Rose, produce their flowers upon the new wood of the
present seiison, and that such plants are greatly bene-
fited by cutting back more or less each spring. But
there are other plants for which this treatment will not
answer. If we examine a Horse-chestnut tree, or a Lilac
bush, and many others, we shall find that the flowers
PRUN^ING. 235
come from the large buds that were formed on the end
of last season's growth, and to cut back such plants
would be to remove all the flower buds. AVith shrubs of
this kind, all that need be done is to thin out the branches
where they are too crowded. These examples will warn
the novice against indiscriminate pruning ; and unless,
as he stands before his shrub or tree, knife in hand, he
knows why he is to prune and how, let him put his knife
in his pocket, and give the plant the benefit of the
doubt. While, under the different fruits, we can give di-
rections for the particular iDruning required by each, the
proper method of treating a miscellaneous collection of
ornamental shrubs and trees can only be learned by
observation.
The term pruning is generally applied to the cutting
away, in w^hole or in part, of the ripened wood ; but
much pruning may be done by the use of the thumb and
finger. This is termed pincUiny, and is practised upon
young shoots at the growing season, while they are yet
soft. This most useful form of pruning allows us to
control the form of a j)lant with the greatest ease, and
is applied not only to soft-wooded plants, but to trees
and shrubs, and may be so performed on these as to
render nearly, if not quite, all pruning of ripened wood
unnecessary. "When soft- wooded plants, such as Chrysan-
themums, Geraniums, or Colons, are planted out or grown
in pots, and left to themselves, most kinds will grow tall
and straggling ; but if judiciously '^pinched back," as it
is called (that is, the top of the strongest shoots pinched
out), the plants can be shaped into a bushy, rounded
form at will. If a vigorous shoot has its end or **grow-
ing point" pinched out it will cease to elongate, but will
throw out branches below, the growth of wiiich may be
controlled in the same manner. The Blackberry illus-
trates the utility of this kind of pruning. The rampant
growing shoot which springs up from the root will, if
236
GARDENING FOK PLEASURE.
left to itself, make a long cane six or eiglit feet high, and
with a very few branches near the top. If, w^hen this
shoot has reached four, or at most five feet, its end be
pinched off, it will then throw our numerous branches ;
and if the upper branches, when they reach the length of
eighteen inches, be '^ stopped" (as it is called), in a sim-
ilar manner, by pinching, the growth will be directed to
the lower ones, and by the end of the season, instead of a
long, unmanageable wand, there will be a well-branched
bush, which will bear its fruit all within reach. The
grower of plants in pots is usually afraid to remove even
a single inch of the stem, and the result is usually a
lot of ^^ leggy" specimens not
worth the care that is oth-
erwise bestowed upon them.
Plants may be prevented from
ever reaching this condition,
if their growth be properly
controlled by pinching ; but
if they have once reached it,
they should be cut back se-
verely, and a compact, bushy
form obtained from the new
shoots which will soon start.
I may state here, however,
that if it becomes necessary to
cut back a plant in full leaf, care must be taken to with-
hold water until it agam throws out shoots below, for the
reason that, being robbed of the foliage and shoots that
elaborated the top, an excess of moisture given to the
roots, which have now no work to do, will gorge and de-
stroy them.
The mechanical part of pruning is very simple. A
sharp knife is the best implement, as it makes a clean
cut without bruising the bark, and the wound quickly
heals. Shears are much easier to handle, and the work
Fig. 66. Fig. 67. Fig. 68.
WHERE TO CUT IN PEUNING.
PRUNING.
237
can be done so much more quickly, that they are generally
preferred, and for rampant growing bushes will answer ;
but upon fruit trees, and choice plants generally, the knife
is much better. The cut should be made just at a joint,
but not so far above it as to leave a stub, as in figure 67,
which will die back to the bud, there being nothing to
contribute to its growth ; nor should it be made so close
to the bud as to endanger it, as in figure ijQ. The cut
should start just opposite the lower part of the bud and
end just above its top, as in figure 68. For the removal
of branches too large to cut witli the knife, as must some-
times be done on neglected trees, a saw is required. Saws
are made especially for the
purpose, but any narrow
one with the teeth set wide
will answer. The rough
cut left by the saw should
be pared smooth, and if an
inch or more in diameter,
the wound should be cov-
ered. Ordinary paint, melt-
ed grafting wax, or shellac
varnish will answer to pro-
tect the bare wood from air
and moisture, and prevent
decay. In pruning it is
well to remember that the
future shape of the tree
will be materially affected
by the position upon the branch of the bud to which the
cut is made. The upper bud left on the branch will con-
tinue the growth, and the new shoot will be in the direc-
tion of that bud. If a young tree is, as in, figure 69, to have
all its branches shortened, and each is cut to a bud. A,
pointing towards the center of the tree, the tendency of
the new growth will all be inward, as in figure 70; while
Fig. 69. Fig. 70. Fig. 71.
PRUNING FOB SHAPE.
238 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
if all be cut to an outside bud, b, the result will be to
spread the growth, as in figure 71.
As to the tune of pruning, about which there has
been much discussion, it may be done on small stems at
any time after the fall of the leaf, before the growth starts
in the spring ; but for the removal of large branches,
late in winter is regarded as the best time. It is a popu-
lar idea that trees should not be pruned in excessively
cold weather. A very sensible belief, as affecting the
comfort of the pruner ; but rest assured, it in no way
adds to the discomfort of the tree, either present or
prospective. Pinching is, of course, done whenever it
is needed during the summer months.
CHAPTER XLI.
HARDY GRAPES.
Grapes can be grown in almost any soil, provided it is
not a wet one. Although the Grape will take abundance
of water when in a growing state, it must j)ass off quickly,
or the growth will be impeded. If the ground is not
naturally suitable {i. e., at least a foot in depth of good
soil), a border prepared in the manner recommended in
the chapter on '-'Cold Grapery" will well repay the
trouble. It is imperative that the position wiiere the
vine is planted be such as will enable it to get sunlight
for the greater portion of the day. Twenty years ago I
planted an arbor (with an arched top) one hundred feet
long by sixteen feet wide and ten feet high, covering
a walk running east and west. This gave a south and a
north exposure. The crop has always been excellent and
abundant (and is to-day) on the south side and top of
the arbor, but on the north side (unless for the first and
HA.RDY GRAPES. 239
second years of fruiting, when there was not sufficient
foliage to impede the light) it has been nearly a failure.
There is much misconception as to what should be the
age of a grape-vine when planted. Nine-tenths of our
amateur customers ask for vines three or four years old.
If a vine of that age could be properly lifted with every
root unbroken, then there might be some advantage in
its greater strength ; but as vines are usually grown in
the nurseries closely together, with the roots all inter-
laced, large plants can rarely be got with roots enough
to support the vine and maintain its vigor after trans-
planting. As a rule, it is better to plant one or two-
year-old vines, which can usually be bought at half the
price of those of three or four years old, and which, in
all probability, will give a crop quite as soon as the large
ones, if not sooner.
The manner of planting the vine is similar to that
of any other tree or shrub. The ground must be thor-
oughly broken up, not in a mere hole only sufficient to
hold the roots, but, if a regular border has not been
made, the place where each vine is to be planted should
not be less than three feet in diameter (and if double
that, all the better), and of a depth of not less than a
foot. On receiving the vine from the nursery, it may con-
sist of one or more shoots, but on planting it should be
cut back to only two or three eyes or buds. On starting
to grow, all of these buds or eyes should bo rubbed off
except one, selecting the strongest. Train this shoot
perpendicularly to a stake the first year of its growth.
The next fall, w^hen the leaves drop, cut it back to nine
or ten inches from the ground. When the vine starts
the next spring, rub off all eyes or buds except two,
which during the season will form two canes, as in figure
73. These, if they are canes half an inch in diameter,
are in the fall to be pruned to three or four feet long,
and the following spring trained horizontally, one to
240
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
the right, the other to the left. -If, at the end of the
second year, they are still small, it is better to delay
laying down the arms until another year, and grow two
upright shoots again, to get them sufficiently strong.
These will form the base from which to start the upright
shoots, as shown in figure 73. These upright growths
will be the permanent fruiting canes, and should be from
fifteen to eighteen inches apart, and pruned on what is
known as the spur system, as shown by figure 74. There
is nothing arbitrary as to the hight of these canes. It is
Fig. 72. — VIXE WITH TWO SHOOTS. Fig. 73.— VINE WITH ASMS.
a matter of convenience or taste whether they be trained
to three feet or fifteen feet. Vines thus treated may be
allowed to produce a few bunches the third year, and
by the sixth year may be fruited to the hight of ten
or twelve feet of cane, if desired. Not more than two
bunches of fruit should be allowed to each shoot. We
give this manner of training as one of the simplest, al-
though the system of training has but little to do with
the crop. My own Grape arbor planted twenty years
HARDY GRAPES.
241
ago. trained and pruned in this way, is still in excellent
vigor, and looks as if it might remain so for twenty years
longer. A top-dressing of rotted manure is placed on
the border (nine feet wide on each side) every fall, and
forked in in the spring. The same system of pruning and
training is equally applicable to vines planted against
fences or walls having an eastern or southern aspect.
The distance apart at Avhicli grape-vines may be planted,
except the Delaware and a few of the weaker growing
sorts, is about eight feet. The Delaware may be set
one-third closer if trained in the manner described ; but
Fig. 74. — VINE SPUR-PKUNED.
if planted in the open field, and trained to stakes and
wires, as shown in figure 75, they may be planted, to begin
with, at least three feet in the rows and six feet between.
Although grape-vines are hardy in nearly all sections,
yet in any locality where the thermometer falls to zero
it is beneficial to lay them down close to the ground,
and cover them up with rough litter, before the ap-
proach of severe weather in winter, allowing it to remain
on in spring until the buds begin to swell, when the
vines are uncovered and tied up to the trellis or stake.
If covered in this way they should be pruned before
being laid down. Pruning may be dime at any time
from November to March. It is a common belief that
grape-vines should be pruned only at certain seasons.
The weather must not be too cold, otherwise it is sup-
242
GARDEJ^ING FOR PLEASURE.
posed they may be injured if then pruned. Again, they
must not be pruned late in the spring, else the sap
oozing from the cuts may bleed them to death. Let me
say that both these notions are utter nonsense. The
Fig. 75. — VIBW OF VINEYARD.
pruning of any tree or vine in the coldest weather cannot
possibly injure it, and the " bleeding " or running of the
sap after any ordinary pruning can no more hurt the
HARDY GRAPES.
243
vine than the blood flowing from a pin scratch would
weaken a healthy man. This method of covering up the
grape-vine is not commonly practised, but we are satis-
fied that in exposed positions it is well worth the
trouble. I have practised it witli vines now over
twenty years old, embracing some twenty varieties. My
soil is a stiff clay, very unsuitable for the Grape ; yet
these vines have kept clear of mildew when my neigh-
bor's vines, a few hundred yards off, have been seriously
injured by it. I have long believed that intense cold,
long continued, is hurtful to even such plants as we call
hardy, and the wonderful vigor of these old vines, so
treated, seems a good evidence of it. The litter used in
covering (which has become well-rotted by spring) is
spread over the border, acting both as a summer mulch
and fertilizer.
Mildew is the worst enemy to the vine. The same
i-emedy we recommend in this book for mildew
on Roses will be found equally efficacious for
the Grape. On a large scale, dry sulphur is
used, blown upon the vines by a bellows made
for the purpose.
Propagation of the Grape is done by nur-
serymen in greenhouses similar to that used
for propagating florists' plants ; but most of
the varieties can be grown with fair success by
cuttings in the open air. The cuttings (made
from the young, well-ripened shoots of the pre-
vious year's growth) may be made with two
(figure 76) or three buds or eyes, planted in
rows, say one foot apart and three inches be-
tween the cuttings, and set so that the top eye
or bud only is above ground. The situation
where the cuttings are placed should be well
exposed to the sun, the soil rich and deep, and of sandy
or light character. Care must be taken that the cutfin^
m
Fig. 76.
CUTTING.
244 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
is well firmed in the soil ; and if sawdust or some other
non-conducting material is sifted over them (covering all
up but the buds), success will be greater, as this will pre-
vent the sun from baking and drying up the soil. The
cuttings may be made from the pruniiigs at any time
during winter, and kept in a damp cellar or buried out-
side in sand until planted in the cutting-bed in the spring.
VARIETIES OF THE GRAPE.
It is the most unsatisfactory part of works on gar-
dening to name varieties. What are cultivated as the
best to-day may ten years hence be entirely discarded.
Moreover, what does well in one section may be less val-
uable in another ; but lists must be given, and all we
can do in the matter is to name such as we believe to be
the best for general use at the date at which we write.
The varieties are named in the order that we deem most
desirable for private use.
Concord is perhaps more universally cultivated than
any other. It grows most luxuriantly, bearing bunches
of large size abundantly. Color black, with a rich blue
bloom. The flavor is of average quality. Eipens during
the month of September.
Moore's Early. — Eesembles the Concord in general
appearance, but ripens two or three weeks earlier. Per-
haps the best early black grape for family use.
Worden. — Color black. Bunches and berries of medi-
um size. Very early, ripening the last of August. Of
excellent quality. A most desirable variety.
Delaicare. — This is perhaps the richest in flavor of all
hardy grapes, and (piite equal to most of the foreign
kinds. The bunches are small, however, though borne
in great abundance, so that the weight of fruit on a
given space is equal to most of the larger kinds. Color
red. Medium early.
HARDY GEAPES.
245
24G GARDEXI^G FOR PLEASURE.
Brighton.— Color a rich copper red. Bunches large,
and of excellent flavor. Ripens in September. One of
the finest of red-colored grapes yet known.
Magara.— So far believed to be the best tvJiite grape
for the table. It is medium early, ripening in September.
In flavor it is considered equal to the best of the foreign
grapes of the Chasselas class. A most abundant bearer.
See engraving (figure 77), taken from a photograph two
years after planting.
PocJcUngton.— Bunches and berries of large size. Color
greenish amber, occasionally tinged with pink. It is of
medium earliness, and good quality, but having a foxy
odor which is objectionable to some.
Wilder.— One of the Eogers's Hybrids. Bunch medi-
u m, berries large, rich black. Flavor excellent. It ripens
in September, and is unsurpassed in all good qualities.
Agawam. — Color reddish bronze. Size of bunches and
berries medium. Eipens in September. This is another
of the Eogers's Hybrids, having a distinct and delicious
flavor, similar to some of the hothouse grapes.
Salem. — Color reddish bronze. Bunches and berries
large. Eipens in September, and again, like all the
Eogers's Hybrids, of excelleut flavor.
Martha. — A strong-growing w^hite grape. Bunches
and berries of medium size, borne in great profusion. It
is medium early and very handsome in appearance.
Merrimaclc. — Color deep black. Bunches and berries
large. Late, ripening in October. One of the Eogers's
Hybrids. Flavor excellent.
The varieties named in this list have been selected
with a view to have fruit in succession from August to
October, and, besides, to have a selection of such colors
as will be most desirable when dished on the table,
which, in the great variety of shades which we now
have in this delicious fruit, makes a most beautiful or-
nament.
THE COLD GRAPERY.
247
CHAPTER XLII.
THE COLD GRAPERY.
I KNOW of no addition to a country home from which
such a large amount of satisfaction can be obtained at so
small an outlay as from a grapery for growing the differ-
ent varieties of foreign grapes. It has been proved that
none of these fine varieties can be cultivated with any
satisfaction in any part of the Northern or even Middle
States, except under glass. In California and some other
states and territories west of the Mississippi, the varieties
of the European Grape have been extensively grown in
the open air. There the conditions of climate are such
as to make their culture a success equal to that attained
any where in Europe. Besides the luxury of the Grape
as a table fruit, xio finer sight can be seen, and there
is nothing of which an amateur gardener may be more
proud than a grapery in which the vines are loaded with
ripe fruit. And as this can be obtained at a trifling
Fig. 78. — GEEENHOUSE OK GRAPERY.
original outlay, and with but little attention in the culti-
vation afterward, I will briefly describe how to do it.
Our climate is particularly well adapted to the cultiva-
tion of vines under glass without fire heat, and the won-
der is that cold graperies are not in more general use,
even by people of moderate means, than they at present
are. We built one for our own use on the plan shown in
figure 78, which is adapted, if desired, for a greenhouse
248 garde:n^ij^g for pleasure.
as well as for a grapery. The dimensions are fifty feet long
by twenty-five feet wide. It is finished in very good style,
and cost but little more than 81,000 without artificial heat.
If heated by hot-water pipes, as shown in the interior
view, it would cost about 8500 more, or 81,500 complete.
It was planted in June, and the third year from planting
we cut upwards of 300 pounds of fruit from it. The next
season it yielded nearly double that quantity. The build-
ing was begun by setting locust posts four feet apart.
On these was framed the sill, on the front of which were
placed upright sashes two and a half feet in hight, and
on these the gutter. From the gutter was sprung the
bars, ten inches apart each way, running on the west side
clear to the ridge pole ; on the east framed to within two
feet of it, so as to give room for lifting sashes. These
were two feet wide by six feet long. To these sashes,
eight in number, were attached the patent ventilating
apparatus, which, by turning a crank, opens these sashes
from one to twenty-four inches, as desired. The front
sashes may be made so that every alternate one can open
outward. With the instructions given in the chapters
on Greenhouse Structures, any intelligent mechanic should
be able to build from this plan, though, whenever green-
houses or graperies are to be erected on a large scale, it
will always be found to be the cheapest and most satisfac-
tory plan to have it done by a regular greenhouse archi-
tect. If there is no city or hydrant water, j)rovision should
be made by building a cistern inside the grapery, say four
feet deep by eight feet in diameter, or of that capacity
in an oblong shape would be better. This cistern can be
supplied by water from the roof, having a waste pipe for
overflow. These general directions for such a structure
as is shown in the cut, figure 78, are equally applicable
for almost any size or kind of grapery. Many are built
in the form of a ^^ean to ;" that is, placed against any
building or fence, using such for the back wall of the
THE COLD GRAPERY.
249
grapery. This would necessitate only the low front wall,
which need not be more than one foot from the ground,
if the width is but ten or twelve feet ; but a path would
require to be sunk inside to give room to stand upright.
The sketch, figure 79, shows an outline of a ^Mean-to"
grapery twenty feet wide, nine feet high at back, and
two feet in front. Such a structure (exclusive of the
*^ border") may be put up roughly at a cost not exceed-
ing four dollars per running foot, without heating ap-
^0 ft ^^
Fig. 79.— LEAN-TO GRAPERY.
paratus. Its aspect may be any point from east to
southwest, though if due south all the better.
I recollect that some twenty years ago a German jeweler
in Jersey City, N. J., grew a splendid crop of Black
Hamburghs on vines which had been planted against the
rear fence of his city lot, by placing against the fence
some old sashes eight feet long. It was rather a bung-
ling sort of an arrangement and awkward to get at, but
it served the purpose of ripening the Hamburgh grapes,
which could not have been done without the glass.
The border of the grapery we have in use was begun
by excavating the natural soil to the depth of twenty
inches and fifteen feet in width, for the length of the
grapery on each side. The inside was left untouched,
250 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
the borders being entirely outside. The bottom of the
excavation was graded from the front of the building to
the outside of the borders, with a fall of about an inch
to a foot, so that thorough and rapid drainage would be
sure to be attained. At the extremity of each border a
drain was built to carry off the water. The whole bot-
tom was then cemented over so as to prevent the roots
from penetrating the subsoil. This pit was then filled
to the depth of about two feet (four inches being allowed
for settling) with a compost which was previously pre-
pared by mixing about three parts of turf taken from
the surface of a rather shaly pasture, one part of rotten
stable manure, and one part of lime rubbish. In addi-
tion, about one-twentieth part of rough or broken bone
was added.
It is one of the popular errors that vines for graperies
should be two or three vears old. The asfe of a vine
usually has but little to do with its size, and if grape-
vines are properly grown the first year from cuttings,
they will be quite as good for planting as if two or three
years old. In fact, it is a question whether a vine grown
from a cutting in March, and planted in June, is not
quite as good as one a year older. Our experience has
shown that there is hardly a perceptible difference in the
two at the end of the season. As such vines, however,
are too tender to be shipped far, we generally recommend
buying one year old vines that may be planted in April,
May, or June, having ripened shoots about three feet in
length. These vines are all grown in pots the previous
season, and when received the soil should be shaken off
entirely, and the roots spread out in the border without
injuring them. The root, it will be understood, is
planted outside in the border, and the shoot taken inside,
through an opening in the walls, which may be made of
brick, stone, or wood, and should be left open at every
three feet, the distance at which the vines should be
THE COLD GRAPERY. 251
planted. If the y^W is of wood, it can easily be cut to
suit the size of the vine. The plants we used were strong
one-year-old vines, and were set about June 1st. By
October they had grown to over twenty feet in length.
In November they were cut back to the bottom of the
rafter, or about three feet from the ground, and quickly
reached the top again the second year, with firm, well-
ripened wood. In November following they were again
pruned back to about five feet above the foot of the
rafter, or eight feet from the ground. These shoots
produced the 300 pounds of fruit referred to (the third
year from the time of planting). The fourth year they
reached the top of the rafter, when a much larger crop was
taken. The varieties used were nine-tenths Black Ham-
burgh, with a few Muscats and Frontignans, all of which
have done exceedingly well, and have now been in bearing
nearly twenty years. Since they liave been in full bearing,
which was five years from the time of planting, they have
averaged, one year with another, 1250 pounds of splendid
grapes, or about one pound for every square foot of base
surface.
Every December we lay the vines down alcng the front
wall after being pruned, covering them completely with
soil until May, when they are taken up and tied to the
wires, which are one-sixteenth inch galvanized iron, and
run across the rafters fifteen inches apart and fifteen inches
from the glass. The training followed is what is called
the ''spur" system, which is simply to allow one cane or
shoot to each rafter (or three feet apart), and pruning
the side shoots or "bearing wood'' annually back to one
eye, which is the same plan advised for hardy grapes.
In the summer treatment of the cold grapery, the prin-
ciple must never be lost sight of, that to keep the vines
m perfect health, a temperature of not less than seventy
degrees at night, with ten or fifteen degrees higher dur-
ing the day, is always necessary. Any rapid variation
252 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
downward is certain to result in mildew. The floor of
the grapery should be kept dashed with water at all
times, unless in damp weather, from the time the buds
start in May until the fruit begins to ripen in September,
except during the period the vines are in flower, when it
should be dispensed with until the fruit is set. If the
weather is dry, copious watering is necessary for the
border outside. The summer pruning consists simply in
pinching off the laterals, or side shoots which start from
where the leaf joins the stem, to one leaf. Every winter
four inches of the best well-rotted stable manure is spread
over the border, and over that six inches of leaves or
litter. This is raked off in spring, and the manure
forked in, the object being to feed the roots from the top
of the border. This same treatment we give our hardy
grapes with excellent results.
I am a good deal of a utilitarian, and am very apt to
make even my luxuries *^^pay" when it is practicable to
do so ; and though I would hardly think of selling my
grapes that have been grown for private use, yet I do not
scruple to make the glass that shelters them do double
duty by using it in Avinter to shelter our half-hardy Roses
from November to May. Those that do not make rose-
growing a business, as I do, can nevertheless profit by my
example, and use the cold grapery for many purposes
during the winter monfhs when it is not needed for the
grape-vines. Besides Roses, all plants of a half-hardy char-
acter may be kept there, such as Pomegranates, Oranges,
figs, Crape Myrtles, Pampas Grass, Tritomas, Carnations,
etc., care being taken that the pots or tubs in which they
are planted are plunged in leaves, tan, or some such sub-
stance, so that the roots do not freeze. The cold grapery
makes an excellent poultry house in winter, only, if put
to that use, care must be taken that the buried vines are
secure against the scratching of the hens. In some sec-
tions grape-vines are often attacked, when thus buried.
THE HOTHOUSE OR FORCING GRAPERY. 253
by ground mice, which gnaw the bark, sometimes so as
to completely destroy them. As a precaution, it is well
to wrap the vines with hay, straw, or cotton batting, over
which sprinkle a mixture of twenty parts flour to one of
Paris green. This will poison the mice if they cub
through the covering to get at the bark. Be careful not
to use any greater proportion of Paris green than advised,
as too much of it might injure the vines ; or the labor of
wrapping the vines may be dispensed with by poisoning
the vermin in the ordinary way.
CHAPTER XLTII.
THE HOTHOUSE OR FORCING GRAPERY.
Whe"N" grapes are forced by artificial heat, probably
the best plan is that of the *^ lean-to " structure shown by
the illustrations, figures 80, 81, and 82. Figure 80 gives
the plan, which, as in some former engravings, it is not
practicable to show on the page at full length ; and it is
accordingly * 'broken," a portion, as shown by the irregular
lines, being taken out of each compartment. The figures
give the proper proportions. Figure 81 is a part of the
front elevation, and figure 82 a section at the division
between the two houses. The house is one hundred feet
long by sixteen feet wide, divided into two compartments
for early and late forcing, each fifty by sixteen feet, and
both heated by one boiler, with valves in the furnace pit
to shut off and taps to draw the water from the pipes
not in usQ, a matter to be looked to when vineries are
not in use ; for if the water is not drawn out of the pipes
it may freeze and break them. "When grapes are to be
forced, it is essential that a suflicient covering of manure
or leaves be placed on tlie border to prevent frost from
254
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
Fig. 80.— PLAN or FORCING GRAPERT.
THE HOTHOUSE OR FORCING GRAPERY.
255
reaching the roots, as to apply heat to the vines inside
while the roots are frozen would seriously injure them.
For very early forcing, when the vines are started as
Fig. 81.— ELEVATION OF FBONT OF FOKCING GRAPERY (iN PART).
cr.
TZT^r
Fig. 82.— SECTION OF FORCING GRAPERY.
early as January, it is usual not only to put on covering
enough to secure from frost, but also to slightly ferment,
60 as to throw some warmth into the border. Ko matter
256 GAEDENIIJG FOR PLEASURE.
at what season the grapery is started for forcing, the
temperature should not run over fifty or fifty-five degrees
at ni^ht, with a day temperature of ten or fifteen degrees
higher, increasing ten degrees when the buds have
opened, which will be in four or five weeks from the
time of starting. In five or six weeks the fruit will be
set, and the temperature is to be raised ten degrees
more. In forcing, moisture is of equal importance with
heat ; for if this is not attended to, you may expect red
spiders and thrips, and then all your labor may be in
vain. To keep up this moisture, tanks are usually placed
on the hot-water pipes for graperies, and these are kept
filled with water, keeping up a continued evaporation,
except at the time the vines are in flower. It should
then be discontinued until the fruit is set. When there
is no such arrangement for evaporation, dash water over
the floors and use the syringe. To secure fine berries
and bunches, one-half of the berries should be thinned
out when of the size of peas, using scissors made for this
purpose. The rules for making the border, pruning,
training, and general culture are the same for the forcing
grapery as for the cold grapery.
CHAPTER XLIV.
THE STRAWBERRY.
Of all small fruits, none stand so high in general
favor as the Strawberry. Its culture is simple ; and as
it grows freely in almost any soil, adapting itself to the
climate of the extreme South as well as to our most
Northern States, no garden of any pretensions should be
without it. If a choice of soil can be had, nothing is so
suitable as a deep, rich, but rather sandy loam, though it
will yield returns suflQcient to warrant its cultivation on
THE STRAWBERRY. 257
any soil, from almost pare sand to clay, provided it is
drained naturally or artificially. In all soils, deep spad-
ing or plowing is essential to the production of fine
crops ; and this should not be less than a foot, and if
eighteen inches, all the better. A coat of thoroughly
rotted stable manure, at least three inches in thickness,
should be dug in and well mixed with the soil to a depth
of six or nine inches. In the absence of stable manure,
any of the concentrated fertilizers mentioned in Chapter
VI., '*How to Use Concentrated Fertilizers," used in
the manner and quantities there described, will do as a
substitute. AYhere muck from the swamps or leaf mold
from the woods can be obtained, twenty bushels of either
of these mixed with one bushel of ashes will make an ex-
cellent fertilizer for Strawberries, and may be spread on
as thickly as stable manure, and on sandy soils is prob-
ably better.
Strawberries maybe planted either in the fall or spring.
If the plants are to be set in the fall, it should not be
done, in this latitude, if it can be avoided, before the
middle of September. This, of course, refers to the
plants from runners taken up from the bed in the usual
manner ; and there is nothing gained in time over plant-
ing the next spring, as the plant must grow for one sea-
son before it can bear a full crop of fruit. In private
gardens it is much better to have the plants la3'ered in
pots, as they may then be set at almost any time. These
pots may be from two to three inches in diameter. When
a lot of Strawberry plants are wanted for a new bed, all
that is necessary to do is to fill these small pots with
soil, and "plunge" or plant the pot just to the surface
level, placing the unrooted "runner" of the Strawberry
plant on the top of the soil in the flower pot, and laying
a small stone or clod on it to keep it in place. This
method of striking in pots is shown in figure 83. The
runners so treated will form plants in two or three weeks,
258
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
and may be planted out with safety any time from
August to October. If Strawberry plants, treated in
this way, are planted in x\ugust, and care taken that all
runners that come from them be cut off as soon as
formed, so that the whole force of the root is thrown
into the main crown, a full crop of berries will be
gathered the season following, or in nine or ten months
from the time of planting. We have practised this sys-
tem of layering Strawberry plants in pots, for what we
•^71.
Fig. 83. — STRIKING STEAWBEKRIES IN POTS.
need for our own use, for the past twenty years, and the
results have been so successful that we have many con-
verts to the system, not only among those who grow for
their own private use, but many who grow this fruit for
market now use no other method. Plants grown in this
manner can be obtained from the nurseries, but the nec-
essary labor and the expense of the pots make the price
five times more than that of ordinary plants rooted in the
usual way and known as 'Aground layers."
THE STRAWBERRY. 259
When Strawberry plants are set out in the fall, unless
under favorable circumstances, many will fail to grow,
for the reason that each young plant or runner is sus-
tained in part by the old plant, and when detached, feels
the shock more than a rooted cutting or seedling plant
does, that has been growing for weeks on its own ac-
count. For that reason we have always advised all that
were intending to plant fresh Strawberry beds, to prepare
their plants a few weeks ahead by layering them in pots.
Two to four hundred plants are all that an ordinary
family will need, and two or three hours' work would be
all the time required to layer the plants in the pots.
One hundred plants so prepared will give more fruit the
first season than a thousand planted in the usual way,
and the i^lant forms a clump quicker, and much less time
is expended in keeping them clean. The use of layered
plants is recommended specially for summer and fall
planting. The plants may be oljtained, by tliis plan of
layering, as early as July, and the sooner they are set out
the greater will be the crop of fruit the next season, al-
though if, for any reason, the layered plants cannot be
obtained to plant before September, they will even then
produce a fair crop of fruit. Our own planting is
usually done by the first week in August, and we rarely
obtain less than a pint from each plant.
In spring the use of potted plants would have no spe-
cial advantage, as, if planted in April or May, they would
have all the summer to grow, but, of course, little fruit
can be expected the season of planting. For this reason,
it will be seen that, to secure a crop quickly, the time to
plant is in July, August, or September, and from plants
that have been layered in pots. There is no arbitrary
rule for the distance apart at which Strawberry plants
should be set; but if the ground has been prepared as ad-
vised, the finest fruit will be had by giving them plenty
of room. For our own use we usuallv set four hundred
260 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
plants annually in August, at two feet apart between the
rows, and eighteen inches between the plants, and gather
about two hundred quarts of splendid fruit. If the
ground is limited they may be planted at half the above
distances, particularly if set late in fall. There is no plant
cultivated where the necessity for keeping the ground
clean is so imperative as it is for Strawberries. It never
can be made profitable under slipshod culture, for,
from the nature of the plant, it cannot defend itself
against weeds, and if neglected will quickly get over-
whelmed and destroyed. Thousands of acres of Straw-
berries are planted annually, which, from the Avant of
prompt work at the proper time, are allowed to be de-
stroyed by weeds. At a small cost in labor, at the
proper time, such crops might have paid a handsome
profit.
There is one very important point in Strawberry cul-
ture that should never be neglected ; and that is, that
the beds be entirely covered with hay, straw, or leaves,
to the depth of three or four inches. This covering
should not be put on, liowever, before the approach of se-
vere weather, which, in this latitude, is about the middle
of December. This covering should not be taken off in
spring. It is only necessary to go over the beds as soon
as growth begins, and pull the covering back from the
plants just sufficient to expose the crown, allowing all to
remain on the bed. This covering serves several purposes.
It keeps the roots warm until the plants start to grow;
it keeps the fruit clean when ripe ; it prevents the growth
of weeds, and, finally, acts as a mulch to keep the soil
from drying in hot weather.
Although Strawberry beds will remain in bearing for a
number of years, the fruit is always largest and finest the
first season of bearing, gradually getting smaller as the
plants get older ; hence it is desirable to provide for a suc-
cession, if not every year, at least every second year. For
THE STRAWBERRY
261
garden culture in this, as in all other fruits, it is unwise to
use any but fully tested varieties, five or six of which are
sufficient. Here, again, as in almost every other fruit or
flower, the advance in excellence compels us to name a
different set every few years ; so that, of the kinds ad-
vised in the last edition of this book written in 1875,
not one can be named in 1887; and it may be that in
another decade these too will have been superseded
by others more desirable.
VARIETIES OF THE STRAWBERRY.
There are hardly two sections of the country, one hun-
dred miles apart, where the same varieties of Strawberries
Fig. 84. — THE HENTJEKSON STRAWBERRY.
are grown. We can only offer those grown in the vicinity
of New York as our standard.
The Henderson (figure 84). This new Strawberry
originated with Mr. George Seymour, South Xoiwalk,
2Q2
GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
Conn., in 1883, who named it in honor of the author
of this work. It is doubtful if there is another Straw-
berry in cultivation having such a combination of
good qualities as the Henderson. The fruit is of the
largest size, rich, glossy crimson in color, looking as if
varnished, early, and exceedingly productive ; but its ex-
celling merit is its exquisite flavor and aroma. Whether
for family or market use, the Henderson is almost
certain to become a standard sort, particularly on light
soils. It seems not to be so well adapted to heavy soils.
Fi?. 85. — CBmsoN cltjstek strawberbt.
It is a perfect-flowered variety, and, therefore, never fails
to set its fruit.
Crimson Cluster (figure 85). On the 10th of Juno,
1886, I examined this Strawberry on the grounds of
the raiser, Mr. E. W. Durand, and found 3,000 plants
that had been planted on the 15th of August, 1885,
which, in less than ten months from the date of planting,
were producing a crop that would average fully a quart
to each plant ; 3,000 quarts from the 3,000 plants, or at
the rate of over 20,000 quarts per acre. The crop was so
immense, and the size of the berries so large, that the
THE STRAWBEKRY.
263
pickers, who were paid two cents per quart, averaged
twenty-five quarts per hour, or five dollars per day ; a
fact beyond question, and which could be attested by a
dozen affidavits. At the first picking, every yard of row
yielded a quart of fruit. Wlien to this extraordinary
production we add the further facts, that this Strawberry
is of tlie richest crimson color, borne in immense clusters
(hence the name), and that it is one of the earliest as
well as the latest — as its great vigor prolongs its season
Fig. 86.— JEHSEY QUEEN STBAWBEBRT.
of fruiting — combined with its excellent quality, there is
every reason to think that it is bound to be the most
valuable Strawberry ever raised by Mr. Diirand.
On the 10th of July, one month after my first exami-
nation, seventy quarts of splendid fruit were gathered
from the 3,000 plants above referred to ; and furthermore,
to show that it still kept on fruiting, Mr. Durand sent
me a large cluster of berries in all stages of development
on the 30th of July ; something entirely unknown in a
264:
GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
Strawberry that had already given an immense early
crop.
Mr. Durand says that the Crimson Cluster is so
completely a pistillate variety that the stamens can
hardly be seen, yet, he further says, it may be planted
five miles away from any other Strawberry and never fail
to produce enormous crops. He adds that he has grown
it in frames under glass in early spring, where it could
Fig. 87. — SHAEPLESS STRAWBERRY.
not possibly be impregnated witli any other variety, with
the same results — an abundant crop.
He thinks that this fact, to a great extent, upsets the
very prevalent notion that perfect stamens and pistils on
the same plant are necessary to produce a crop of fruit.
Without having personally given the matter much atten-
tion, I have long believed, from general observation, that
there was more importance given to the necessity for
THE STRAWBERRY. 205
''perfect flowers/' as they are called, in Strawberries
than results warranted. From its free fruiting qualities
I am inclined to believe that the Crimson Cluster will
prove to be a grand forcing Strawberry.
Jersey Queen (figure 80). This variety was sold for
the first time in the fall of 1881, and is, perhaps, one
of the very best late Strawberries thus far introduced.
The size is immense, often measuring six inches in cir-
cumference. Shape, roundish conical ; color, a beautiful
Fig. 88. — THE JEWELL STRAWBERRY.
scarlet crimson ; perfectly solid, and of excellent flavor.
It is an enormous bearer, many plants averaging a quart
of first quality fruit. It is one of the latest Strawberries,
the crop in this vicinity being in perfection about the
25th of June, while the average crop of Strawberries is
at its best by the 15th of June. For this reason it is
found to be one of the best kinds to grow at the summer
liotels in the North.
SharpJess (figure 87). With the exception of Jersey
Queen and Crimson Chister. the largest and one of the
266 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
heaviest berries of this collection. It is of fine flayer, a
good bearer, and has now become a standard sort.
Parry. — One of the earliest large berries, of great
beauty, excellent quality, prolific, and one of the very
hardiest and strongest growers.
Jewell (figure 88). A comparatively new variety, orig-
inated in 1880. It is of the largest size, perfect form,
color bright red changing to crimson, of medium earli-
ness ; an enormous cropper, sometimes reaching four
hundred bushels per acre.
The Hoffman. — This is now the most popular berry for
the Southern States. It is of medium size, average flavor,
but a most abundant bearer and strong grower, and,
above all, has the requisite solidity or firmness essential
for distant carriage.
FORCING STRAWBERRIES.
The three-quarter span greenhouses (already described
and illustrated in the chapter on Greenhouse Structures),
or the lean-to style, as advised for forcing graperies, are
equally adapted, with slight modification, for the forcing
of Strawberries. This modification i.s in having the
benches or tables raised, so as to be as near the glass as
it is practicable to have them, as shown by the sketch (fig-
ure 89) of end section annexed. The proper preparation of
the plants for Strawberry forcing is indispensable to suc-
cess. This is best done by layering the runners in small
pots, as described under the head of *' Strawberry Cul-
ture." The layers may be placed in the pots at any time
from the middle of July to September 1st. When the
pot is filled with roots (which will be in about two or
three weeks from the time the Strawberry runner is
placed in it), it is taken up and shifted into a four-inch
pot in soil four-fifths turfy loam to one-fifth rotted cow
dung, to which may be added a sliglit sprinkling of pure
bone dust — say a handful to every bushel of soil.
THE STRAWBERRY.
^iCT
When the Strawberry plants have been shifted from
the pots in which they were layered into the four-inch
size, they should be set in the open sunshine, standing
the pots close together, and carefully watered as occasion
requires, so as to induce the best possible growth. All
runners should be carefully pinched off as they appear,
so that the whole force of the roots may go to develop
the main plant, or fruiting crown, as it is sometimes
called. In four or five weeks the four-ioch pots will be
Fig. 89.— STRAWBERRY FORCING HOUSE.
filled with roots, and the plants must again be shifted into
six-inch pots and treated as before, which will give, by
the middle of October, the necessary strong plants for
forcing. As the season of growth stops about this date,
water should be withheld to some extent, so that the
plants may get a season of rest.
AVhen they are placed in the forcing-house they may
either be planted out on the benches at six or eight inches
apart, in soil five or six inches deep, or they may be
forced in the pots, as may be desired ; but, in any case,
twice as many plants should be prepared as will fill the
26S GARDENING FOB PLEASURE.
house, for, if desired, two crops can easily be raised in
succession. The first plants should be placed in the
forcing-house about Xovember loth. These will produce
ripe fruit by January or February. Plants put in in
February will be ready by March or April. Of course,
it will be necessary to keep the reserve plants of Straw-
berries in a dormant state, which is best done in cold
frames or pits, or even in a light or cold cellar, the pots
being plunged up to the rims in dry leaves.
The best rule to follow in forcing any plant is to keep
as near as possible to its natural condition. We know
that, as the Strawberry plant develops its leaves and
flowers throughout May in this latitude in the open
ground, the night temperature will average, perhaps,
forty degrees for the first two weeks in May and fifty
degrees for the last weeks, while for the first two weeks
in June it will be about sixty degrees at night, and in all
cases from ten to fifteen degrees higher in the day. This,
then, is our rule for the forcing houses : Start slowly,
increasing the temperature as the plant develops and
ripens its fruit, just as Nature does in the field.
Like Cucumbers, artificial impregnation is necessary
for the Strawberry in the dull winter months. This is
best done by using a camel's hair pencil, twirling it from
one flower to another (particularly from the perfect to
the pistillate flowers, if such varieties are forced) on clear
days, and allowing all possible ventilation. Sometimes
hives of bees are kept in Strawberry and Cucumber
forcing houses, to assist in the impregnation.
Some judgment is necessary in watering until there are
indications of vigorous growth. Water at the roots spar-
ingly; but, at the same time, do not allow the soil to get
too dry, and be careful not to water the plants overhead
when in bloom, as that will check the impregnation.
When the fruit has "set," give water freely whenever
necessary, and throughout the whole season of growth
THE STRAWBERRY. 269
keep the atmosphere of the house well charged with
moisture, in order to keep down the Eed Spider, the in-
sect which is quickly destructive to both Strawberries
and Cucumbers.
The kinds of Strawberries which seem to have been the
favorites for forcing are the Champion, a rather dark
crimson berry of great beauty and of the largest size,
with occasional trials of Jersey Queen, on account of the
great size and beauty of the fruit. But the new variety
Crimson Cluster, from trials made with it, is likely to
prove the most valuable variety for forcing purposes. It
is of the largest size, of beautiful form ; color, a rich
shade of scarlet crimson, the surface looking as if var-
nished. These peculiarities make it specially attractive,
a necessity for forced Strawberries when retailed at about
fifty cents a berry; for in the winter months, it must bo
remembered, they sell at wholesale at six dollars per
quart, and it takes only eighteen to twenty large berries
to make a quart.
To our rural readers this extraordinary price paid for
fruit may seem incredible ; but all large cities contain
people who are rich enough to afford these prices, not
only for fruits, but for flowers, for it is no unusual thing
for one dollar and even two dollars to be paid for single
rosebuds of the rarer or finer sorts. At the same date
tliat forced Strawberries are selling in Xew York at six
dollars per quart, or forced Cucumbers at six dollars per
dozen, both Strawberries and Cucumbers grown m the
Southern States are selling at one-sixth these prices ; but
the quality, of course, bears no comparison with the
forced commodities. Besides its value as a fruit, as a
beautiful feature in the forcing house nothing exceeds
the Strawberry when fully ripe. A few dozen plants will
fill the house with their delightful aroma.
270 GARDEJS'ING FOR PLEASURE.
RASPBERRY.
To have the Raspberry in perfection, the same prepara-
tion of soil is necessary as for the Strawberry, only that,
while, for the best results, the Strawberry bed must be
perfectly clear of shade, the Raspberries will do very well
in a little shade ; that is, in such a situation as will allow
them one half or so of the sunlight. The canes or shoots
of the Raspberry are biennial; that is, the cane or shoot
that is formed one season bears fruit the next season, and
dies off after fruiting, giving place to the young cane that
is to fruit the following season, and so on. The distances
apart to plant the Raspberry for garden culture may be,
if in rows, four feet apart, with the plants two feet apart
in the row; or, if in separate stools or hills, they may be
set three feet each way; or, planted at distances of four
feet aj^art, three plants may be put in each ^' hill," which
will sooner secure a crop. They may be set either in
fall or in spring. If in the fall, a covering of four or five,
inches of dry leaves or litter should be spread over the roots
to prevent them from getting too much frozen. Even
when the plants are established and growing, it is neces-
sary, in many cold sections, to bend down the canes and
cover them with pine branches or some covering that will
shield them from severe freezing. On a large scale the
canes are bent down and covered with a few inches of
earth, an operation that may be rapidly performed by two
persons. One bends down the canes (using a pitchfork
or other implement), as shown in the accompanying dia-
gram (figure 90), while the other throws sufificient earth
near the tips to hold the canes in place. After a rov/ is
thus bent over, the two go back and cover with earth
more completely.
All the pruning that is necessary for the Raspberry is
to thin out the shoots in each hill to four or six. This
is best done in the summer after the fruit is gathered,
UASPBERRT.
271
and at the same time the old caries that have borne the
fruit should be cut out, so that the young shoots, coming
forward to do duty next season, may have room to
Fis:. 90.— LAYING DOWN BASPPERRT CAJTES.
grow freely, and develop and ripen the wood. On rich
soils these shoots are very vigorous, and, if left to grow
unchecked, would reach seven to eight feet in hight; but
it is best to pinch out the tops of the young shoots when
Fig. 91.— TRAINING RASPBERRIES TO A WIRE.
about six feet high. This makes the shoots stouter, be-
sides keeping the plant at a convenient hight to pick the
fruit. When the leaves drop in fall, the canes may be
272
GAEDEJ^ING FOR PLEASURE.
shortened down a foot or so, whicli will complete tlie
pruning process.
To get the full benefit of all the fruit, it is very neces-
sary to stake the Kaspberry. This may be done either by
tying the canes of each plant separately to a stout stake,
driven two feet or so into the ground, or, if grown in rows,
they may be tied to wires running along the rows. The
KASPBERRY. 213
wires should be stretched between two stout posts, one at
each end of the row, and three feet, more or less, above
the ground, according to variety. To prevent the wire
from sagging, stakes should be driven into the ground
directly under it, at intervals of six or ten feet. The
wire is attached to these by means of staples placed over
it and driven into the ends of the stakes. The diafrram
(figure 91) shows the method of training to the wire. The
longer canes at the right and left are the canes which are
to fruit the current year. These are tied out as there
shown, while the new shoots, which are to furnish canes
for the next year's fruiting, grow up in the center, and
as soon as tall enough arc tied to the wire. After the
outer canes have fruited, they are cut away to give the
others more room.
The varieties are very numerous. Those named below
are sucli as will be most satisfactory for private use in
this section of the country. From one hundred to two
hundred hills or plants, of all varieties, will usually be
sufficient for most families.
HansplL — One of the earliest of all the Red Raspberries.
It is of large size, beautiful in a])pcarance, and has a rich,
spicy flavor. Color a bright crimson. It is one of the
hardiest varieties, and has for the past five years been
considered one of the best for either family or market
use. (Figure 92.)
Cuthbert. — Somewhat larger than the Hansell. Color
dark crimson; flavor sprightly and delicious. Comes in
in succession to the Hansell.
Golden Queen. — Found growing in a field of the Cuth-
bert Raspberry, and is, in all probability, a *^ sj)ort," as
it is technically called, from that variety. The berry is
of the largest size. The color is a deep orange yellow,
and, like all the yellow kinds, is richer in flavor than
274
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
the reds, and far surpassing them in our opinion. Be-
sides, the rich orange yellow color makes it a beautiful
Fig. 93. — GOLDEN QUEEN KASPBERKY.
table ornament when placed alongside of the red and black
varieties. (Figure 93.)
THIJIBLEBERRY. 275
THIMBLEBERRY OR BLACK CAP RASPBERRIES
Kave become very popular of late years, many persons
preferring their peculiar flavor to that of the red or yel-
low. They belong to a distinct species of Raspberry.
The plants make no suckers, but propagate themselves by
taking root at the ends of the long branches, which in
the fall, if allowed to grow at will, bend over and reach
the earth. They throw up shoots from the base of the
plant, which take the place of those which have already
borne a crop. In gardens, where there is no desire to
Fig. 94.— GREGG THIIMBLEBEHRY.
propagate the plants, the growing shoots should be
pinched off when they get three or four feet high,
and any side shoots they may throw off are stopped by
pinching when they are about eighteen inches long. The
bearing wood is thinned out after the fruit is off. They
are of the easiest culture, and even on light sandy or
gravelly soils good crops can be raised. They should be
planted about four feet apart each way, or five feet between
2i'G GARDEXIXG FOIJ PLEASIKE.
rows and two feet between the plants, for garden culture.
The Black Cap is the only Raspberry suitable for drying,
and for that purpose it is now largely grown.
Gregg. — This is now grown to nearly the exclusion of
all other kinds of Black Caps. It is of the largest size,
excellent flavor, and enormously productive. The cut
(figure 94) shows a few berries of natural size.
Erliart Everlearing. — This is also an excellent variety,
nearly equal to the G-regg, with the property of bearing
three crops during the season, the last crop being late in
the fall.
BLACKBERRY.
The cultivation of the Blackberry is nearly similar to
that of the Raspberry, except that it should be planted
about one-third farther apart, and being hardier, there
is no need for covering it in winter in this latitude. As
it has a more vigorous growth, it is sometimes set in any
out-of-the-way corner, and in almost any soil ;. but it will
amply repay generous cultivation with finer fruit. The
manner of growth is the same as the Raspberry ; and
when the fruit is picked, the old canes are to be cut out
to give the new ones a chance. The new shoots grow
vigorously, and when they reach the bight of five, or, at
most, six feet, they should be stopped by pinching.
This will cause an abundance of side shoots to start,
which are to be pinched when about eighteen inches long.
This treatment increases the productiveness of the plants
and keeps the fruit within reach. The bushes should be
kept tied to stout stakes or wires, as advised for the
Raspberry.
The following are a few of the popular kinds:
Early Harvest. — This is not only a first-class Black-
berry in every respect, but its great merit is earliness,
coming right in to succeed the Strawberries, beginning
in this section to ripen tlie first week in July, and per-
I^LACKBERRY.
277
fectiiig its entire crop before other kinds have ripened.
It is enormously productive, a quart of fine fruit being
easily picked from a single shoot. (Figure 95.)
Wilsoji, Jr. — This comparatively new variety combines
all the good qualities of the old Wilson Blackl)erry, and
exceeds it in being of a more vigorous and liealthy
growth, and, like the Early Harvest, produces immense
278
CtArdenixg for plrasuke.
Fiff. 'Jo. — THE WILSON. JUNIOR, SLACKBEKRT.
BLACKBERRY.
273
quantities of fruit of the finest qualit}*. As will be seen
by the illustration (figure 96), the fruit is of the largest
size. Color, deep glossy black.
Wachusetts Thornless. — A strong growing variety, al-
most destitute of spines, which makes it, for that reason,
much prized for the private garden. It is a late variety,
beginning to ripen in midsummer, and continuing for a
long time in bearing. Of unsurpassed flavor.
Fie:. 97.— LUCKETIA DEWBERRY.
Lucretia. — This belongs to the class of Blackberries
known as Dewberries. They are of trailing habit, doing
nicely along the foot of old walls or waste places, creep-
ing in the grass. Of course, if given garden culture,
which might be similar to that for Strawberries, the fruit
will be finer. It is an interesting variety, and well
worthy of a place in every garden. (Figure 9T.)
280
GARDEXING FOR PLEASURE.
Cry.^tal White-
Fi X. 98. — CRYSTAL WHITE
This seems, as Mr. Lovett says, '^a
veritable albino," a white Black-
berry, a novelty as rare as a white
crow or a white blackbird among
birds. It is of clear, translucent
white, very sweet and pleasant
in flavor. Well worthy, from its
novelty, of a place in the fruit
garden. It is less hardy than the
black kinds, requiring the same
protection as raspberries (lig.98).
CURRANTS.
The Currant is useful both for dessert and for preserv-
ing purposes. An immense weight of fruit is obtained
for the space it occupies, and the ease of its culture
makes it common in every garden. The red and white
varieties may be planted three or four feet apart each
way, the black at four or five feet apart. Pruning is
done in the fall by cutting off about a third of the young
growth of the previous summer, and thinning out old
shoots when the plants get too thick. All are trained in
low bush form, the whites and reds usually from three to
four feet high and wide, and the black four to six feet.
They can also be grown trained against fences or walls
like grape vines, and will, in such positions, attain eight or
ten feet in hight in five or six years from the time of
planting, if the soil is deep and rich. Grown in this way,
if care is taken in training, the fruit is larger, and when
ripe, particularly if the black, white, and red varieties
are placed in contrast, they form very attractive orna-
ments for the garden. In many places, where the area
for garden operations is limited, they can easily be
trained against the fence.-.
An insect known as the currant worm is often verv de-
OLRKANTS.
:381
Fig. 99.— fat's prolific.
Fii;. 10;>. —BLACK CHAMPION.
282 GARDEN^ING FOR PLEASURE.
structive. On its first appearance, if confined to a few
leaves, these should be cut off, shoot and all, and de-
stroyed. If they threaten to be troublesome, powdered
White Hellebore or Persian Insect Powder, either dusted
on or mixed four ounces to a pailful of water and applied
with a syringe, will destroy them at once. Of course
these poisonous remedies can only be used before the fruit
is ripe.
Fay^s Prolific. — Color reddish amber; berries and bunch
large; flavor excellent. An abundant bearer, and a most
beautiful and desirable fruit for dessert. (Figure 99.)
Black Najyles. — This is the favorite black variety, and
is used almost exclusively for jams and jellies. The
black varieties are much less grown here than in Europe,
but the taste for them is increasing.
Black Champion. — An improved variety of Black Cur-
rant, with dense clusters, very prolific, and decidedly
superior in flavor to the preceding. The bunches, how-
ever, are hardly so large. (Figure 100.)
^Mlite Grape. — Berries large, of a yellowish-white
color. The flavor of this variety is less acid than any
other. Excellent for dessert.
Cherry. — Berries larger than that of any other sort,
but too acid for most tastes, and only suitable for jelly.
GOOSEBERRY.
The Gooseberry is a fruit better suited for the climate
of Great Britain than for ours, and it is rarely seen here
in the perfection it attains there. It ripens just when
our hottest weather occurs, forcing it unnaturally to
maturity, and hence the absence of the size and flavor
it attains when ripened at a lo\ver temperature. The
native varieties, though far inferior in size and quality,
are usually more free from mildew, and are therefore
most desirable for cultivation here, as the fruit with us
is more used in the green than in the ripe state. Goose-
GOOSEDEURY.
283
berries are planted from three to four feet apart, and are
treated in all other respects like Currant bushes.
Industry. — A European variety that proves admirably
adapted to our climate. Il is comparatively new. In
size and flavor it is equal to many of the finest English
sorts. Color a dark red. The cut (figure 101) is an ex-
cellent representation of its average size.
284 GARDEN I N'G FOR PLEASURE.
Doiuning. — A native variety of medium size, greenish-
white when ripe, and of excellent quality.
Houglitonh Seedling. — Also a native variety. Size
medium, color red, flavor average.
Of the foreign varieties among Reds may be named as
loading sorts, Warrington, Champion, Waterloo ; of
Greens, Green Globe, Melville, Green Gage ; of Yellows,
Sulphur, Champagne, Golden Drop ; of Whites, Crystal,
AVhitesmith, Dutch.
There are a number of English and Scotch mechanics
employed at the mills in Paterson, X. J., who make a
specialty of growing English Gooseberries in their cottage
gardens, and hold yearly exhibitions for prizes for the
best sj^ecimens. By the following method they have
attained nearly as good success as is met with in Eng-
land. The soil (which is naturally a good strong loam,
and one foot or more in depth) is trenched to a depth of
fifteen or eighteen inches, and mixed with the subsoil,
which U partly sand and partly clay. Through this soil
is incorporated three inches of well-rotted cow duns:.
The Gooseberry plants, which are all imported from Eng-
land, are planted about three and a half feet each way ;
and as soon as the hot and dry weather begins (usually
about the middle of June), a heavy mulching, three or
four inches deep, of well-rotted horse or cow dung is
spread over the whole surface. This keeps the roots cool
and moist, the necessary conditions for the perfection of
this fruit.
FIGS.
The Fig, on account of not being hardy in the Xorth-
ern States, is but little cultivated, unless in tubs, which
are placed in cellars or sheds to protect them during tlio
winter months, or occasionally on the back wall of lean-
to graperies : but in all parts of the countrv where the
Ql'lNCE. 285
thermometer does not get lower than twenty degrees
above zero, they can be grown freely in the open air
without protection. It is hardly ever necessary to prune
the Fig, except to regulate its shape by cutting back any
extra strong shoots. In sections of the country such as
Maryland, West Virginia, or Delaware, where it may
require slight protection when grown in the open air, it
should bo planted against a wall or fence, and trained
against it. On the approach of cold weather it should
be laid down and covered as recommended for hardy
grapes. When grown in tubs to be kept in cellars,
sheds, or greenhouse pits, they should be placed under
cover in this latitude early in November, kept as dry as
possible without shrivelling, and set out in the open air
again in May. The soil and general treatment for plants
grown in the open air in pots or tubs will be suitable for
them. There are numerous sorts in cultivation, from
which we select the following :
White Genoa. — Large, roundish, yellow skin ; flesh
reddish pink, excellent flavor.
Broion Turkey. — Pear shaped, average size, brown
skin ; flesh red, rich flavor.
Early Violet, — Skin brownish-red ; flesh reddish-crim-
son, delicious flavor ; fruit rather small. One of the
hardiest.
Brown Ischia. — Size large, skin yellowish-brown ; flesh
violet, sweet and luscious. Very prolific.
QUINCE.
A few Quince trees should be planted in every garden
where there is any pretension to a collection of fruits. It
is a tree requiring but little attention, and for that reason
is often neglected, and very unsightly specimens are seen.
The tree ij very ornamental in flower and fruit ; and by
2^0 GARDEXIXG TOR PLEASLRE.
a little attention to pruning, a handsome head may be
formed, though equally luxuriant crops are seen on trees
that have been untouched for years. They may be
planted eight or ten feet apart. The following varieties
are in most general use.
Apple-shaped or Orange. — A large round variety,
bright golden-yellow.
Pear-shaped, — Color greenish-yellow, and its shape
being more pear-like, readily distinguishes it from the
other and better variety.
Rea^s Seedling. — This variety is the largest and finest
of all.
CHERRY.
The Cherry-tree begins to bear usually in two or tliree
years after planting trees of the size sold at the nurseries,
and continues to enlarge in growth and productiveness
annually, until it often attains a larger size than most of
our fruit-trees. The Cherry grows freely in almost any
soil that is free from moisture, preferring, however, like
most other fruits, a deep loamy soil. The tree may be
trained as desired, either in pyramidal form or with a
round top, by pruning and directing the shoots. The
distance apart may be ten or twelve feet. Varieties :
Blarh Tartarian. — Deep purplish-black, very large ;
fine solid flesh. Season last of June. This variety has
been in cultivation for over fifty years, and yet standi
un equaled in quality. (Figure 102.)
RocJcport.'—Yerj large, amber-yellow, dotted red ; flesh
firm, sweet, and excellent. Eipens in June.
Coe's Transparent. — Color pale amber-yellow, spotted
with pink ; flesh tender, sweet, and of fine flavor. Ripens
middle of June.
May Duke. — Color dark red, size medium, quality ex-
cellent. Ripens early in June.
PLLM.
2S\
Morello. — A sub-acid variety of medium size, color
bright red, changing to darker color when fully ripe.
Fig. 102.— BLACK TARTARIAN CHBRRT.
Hangs long on the tree, and is mainly used for pies and
preserving.
PLUM.
The cultivation of the Plum is rendered nearly useless
in most places by the attacks of the Curculio, or Plum
Weevil. An almost certain remedy is to use a teaspoon-
ful of London Purple or Paris Green to six gallons of
^88 GAKDEXIXG FOK PLEAS I'll K.
water, syringed on the trees every other day for fifteen
days, beginning the operation as the flower begins to
drop, as it is just when the fruit is forming that the in-
sect deposits its egg. No danger need be apprehended
from the small quantity of the poison used, as it will be
all washed from the fruit long before it rij^ens. Another
remedy, which will effectually save a crop in the districts
infested by this insect, is to jar the tree in the morning
or in cool days, first spreading sheets under the trees to
catch the weevils, after which they may be burned. If
this is begun as soon as the Plums ai-e formed, and per-
sisted in every few days until they are ripe, a large share
of the crop may be saved. This may be thought to be
paying rather dear for a crop of Plums, but it is really
the only way it can be secured. Many years ago the crop
of a Plum orchard under my charge, numbering over a
hundred large trees, was saved by this process, while all
other Plums in the district, where the jarring of the trees
was not resorted to, were completely destroyed. This
plan was recommended nearly half a century ago, and no
other practicable method has been presented until the
recent use of Paris Green, applied as already described.
It has been recommended by some to plant the trees on
the bank of a pond or running stream, and train them to
overhang the water ; also to jDave or cement around the
roots, so that the insect cannot burrow; but these plans
would be often impossible, and are practically useless in
general culture. Trees upon stiff, clayey soils are more
exempt from the ravages of the Curcuho than those upon
light ones, probably for the reason that the insect in the
grub or larvae state cannot penetrate them so readily, as
they must enter the ground to become perfect insects.
The average distance at which the Plum may be planted
is from ten to twelve feet. The following are distinct
and fine sorts.
Smith's Orleans. — Color purple, with a rich blue
JAPANESE PERSIMMON. 289
bloom ; size medinm ; flesli deep yellow; flavor of first
quality ; clingstone. Ripens in August.
Washingto7i. — Color yellow, marbled witli red next the
sun ; large size ; flesh firm, sweet, and rich ; freestone.
Ripens first of September.
Green Gage. — A well-known variety, rather small in
size, but of exquisite flavor. Color greenish-yellow,
spotted with red on the sunny side ; freestone. Ripens
early in August.
Imperial Gage. — Of large size, and similar in flavor to
the Green Gage. Color yellowish-green.
Columbia. — Of the largest size; color brownish-purple;
flesh yellow, sweet, and finely flavored ; freestone. Ripens
the last of August.
Coe's Golden Drop. — A very old and well-known sort.
Color golden yellow with red spots next the sun ; large,
oval ; rich, sweet, yellow fleshc3d. Ripens the middle of
September.
Magnum Bonum. — Yellowish white, egg-shaped, of
large size and having a rich spicy flavor.
JAPANESE PERSIMMON.
An entirely distinct species from the American Persim-
mon, and is likely to become a valuable addition to fruits
in the Southern States, but the Southern States only, as
repeated trials have shown that it is not likely to prove
hardy in any part of the country where the thermometer
falls lower than fifteen degrees above zero. It has al-
ready been grown, to some extent, in Florida and Cali-
fornia, and the fruit from Florida is now finding its way
into our Northern markets, and at this time brings the
very high price of twenty-five cents each, while oran.i^es
from the same section hardly bring one-sixth of that
price.
290
GARDEKIXG FOR PLEASURE.
The culture is very similar to that for the Orange, ex-
cept that the Japan Persimmon, like its American rela-
tive, is deciduous ; that is, it drops its leaves in the
winter months. The fruit in taste is somewhat be-
tween a Fig and an Apricot, and when fully ripe is de»
licious. It has been long grown in Japan, where the
varieties are quite as numerous as Phims are with us. hi
size and coloring some kinds resemble a red tomato,
Fig. 103. — JAPAN PERSIMMON {Fi'om a Photograph).
though there is a great difference in the various kinds,
both in shape and color. Figure 103 shows a variety of
medium size.
PEACH.
The Peach prefers the light, dry, and warm soils
known as sandy loams. The tree is short-lived in most
sections, and attains its best fruiting condition usually
when from fire to nine years old. The tree is greatly
benefited by pruning. The growth of the previous sea-
PEACH. 291
Bon should be shortened about one-third. This, if an-
nually followed from the time the trees are set, will give
them compact heads instead of open, straggling ones, the
branches of which will break down with the first full
crop of fruit. In the Peach-growing districts the culti-
vators do not expect more than three crops in five years ;
and if they get two full crops in that time they are con-
tent, and amateurs should expect no more. When a crop
sets at all there is usually more fruit than the tree can
carry and ripen. No fruit needs severe thinning more
than the Peach. In bearing seasons half or two-thirds
of the Peaches which set niay be removed with benefit to
the rest. The fruit should be removed when about the size
of hazel nuts. When a tree appears sickly with yellow
foliage, dig it up at once. The distance the trees should
be set apart may be from ten to twelve feet. Among the
favorite varieties for garden culture may be named the
following:
Hale's Early. — A very early Peach, of fair size and
great beauty, but has the fault that it in some localities
rots just as it begins to ripen, a difficulty probably due to
overbearing rather than to locality. Preestone, excellent.
Columbia, — Large, round, color yellow and red, streaked
wdth dark crimson ; flesh yellow, rich, and juicy ; flavor
excellent. Freestone ; ripens in September.
Craioford's Early. — Large, roundish, color yellow,
tinged with red ; flesh yellow, rich, and sweet. Ripens
last of August ; freestone.
CraioforcVs Late. — Similar in appearance, but ripening
three weeks later.
Cooledge's Favorite. — Size medium, roundish oval,
color clear white with crimson cheek ; flesh rich, juicy,
and of first quality. Ripens in August ; freestone.
Honest John, or Early York. — Large, roundish, white
292 GAEDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
■with red cheek ; flesh white, very juicy, excellent flaror.
Eipens the middle of August ; freestone.
Morris WJdte. — A well-known variety, size medium,
color greenish-white, flavor average. The variety mostly
used for preserving. Eipens the middle of September ;
freestone.
Bed Cheeh Melocoton. — Fruit large, yellow, with dark
red cheek; flesh orange-3'ellow, flavor excellent- Eipens
the middle of September ; freestone.
NECTARINES.
Nectarines are only smooth-skinned Peaches, requiring
in all respects similar treatment to the Peach. They are
but little grown in this country, as they are even more
liable than the Plum itself to injury by the attacks of
the Plum Curculio. The same treatment recommended
for its destruction in Plums must be applied to the
Nectarine. There is a peculiarity in the flavor of some
varieties of Nectarines differing from that of any of the
Peaches, and by some they arc greatly preferred to any
Peach, in flavor. The varieties are not numerous.
Early Newington. — Large, roundish oval, greenish-
yellow, mottled red ; flesh yellowish-white. Eipens in
September ; cling.
Hunfs Taicny. — Large, round, amber-yellow^ with red
cheek ; flesh orange, melting, flavor excellent. Eipens
in August ; freestone.
Boston. — Large, oval, yellow, with mottled crimson
cheek; flesh yellow, quality excellent. Eipens in Sep-
tember ; freestone.
APRICOT.
The Apricot is closely related to the Plum, but belongs
to another species. It is a delicious fruit, and in cold
latitudes succeeds best grown against a fence or the side
APPLE. 293
of a house. The blighting Curculio attacks the Apricot
also, and its culture can only be successful by combating
the difficulties that attend tliat of the Plum, unless in
special locations that seem few and far between. It is
now grown to a large extent in California, where it is
preserved by canning in immense quantities. The fol-
lowing are good varieties :
Moorpark. — Size large as an average Peach, yellow
with red cheek; flesh orange, sweet, and of exquisite
flavor. Ripens in July.
Orange. — Pale yellow with red cheek, size medium.
Ripens end of July.
Turkey. — Large, deep yellow, shaded orange ; flesh
pale yellow, firm, rich, and sweet. Ripens in August.
APPLE.
The Apple can only be grown in small gardens as a
dwarf, either kept in a bush form or trained as a pyramid
or other shap3. The dwarf trees are made so by grafting
on dwarfing stocks, while the varieties are the same as
those found in the large trees of the orchard. Two sorts
of dwarfing stocks are used by nurserymen, the Doucin
and the Paradise. Trees upon the Doucin will ultimately
grow quite large ; and as the Paradise is the only stock
which makes really dwarf trees, the amateur who wishes
to grow dwarf apple-trees should make sure that they are
worked on Paradise stocks. Of course, trees of this kind
are not advised as a source of profit ; but there can
scarcely be a handsomer object in the garden than a bush
six feet high, and about the same through, loaded with
enormous apples. Dwarf apple-trees may be planted six
feet ai)art each way, while ordinary trees in the orchard
are given fifteen to thirty feet, or even forty feet. The
following sorts are recommended for garden culture.
294
gardexi:n"g for pleasure.
(For descriptions, see nursery catalogueG,) Baldwin,
Gravenstein, Khode Island Greening, King of Tompkins
Fig. lOi. — FALL PIPPIN APPLE.
Connty, Maiden's Blush, Esopus Spitzenberg, Early Har-
vest, Northern Spy, Porter, and Fall Pippin (figure 104).
PEARS.
Like Apples, Pears are grown as dwarfs and standards;
the former being planted from eight to ten feet apart, the
latter from ten to fifteen feet. The dwarfs, budded on
the quince stock, are mostly used for garden culture, as,
from their habit, they are more suitable, besides having
the invaluable quality of coming quicker into bearing.
Time was when the adage went, ^' He that plants Pears,
PEARS.
295
plants for his heirs;" but this is now no more applicable
to the Pear than to the Peach ; for we can have fine
crops of Pears budded on the Quince in three to five years
from the time of planting. The trees may be grown as
pyramids (as in figure 105), or in the bush form ; or, in
small gardens, Pear, Peach, and other trees can be suc-
YiiX. 105. — IvEIFFER PEAR,
cessfully trained in what is called the oblique cordon,
v/hich allows a number of varieties to be grown in a
small space. Only a general outline of the method can
be given here, referring for fuller details to Barry's and
296
GARDEN^ING FOR PLEASURE.
other works on fruit culture. A trellis is built about
eight feet high, by nailing a strong top and bottom rail
to posts, which should be about eight feet apart. Slats
of inch stuff are put on between the two rails at an
angle of thirty degrees. These are fastened on with
screws, as, when the trees have reached the top, the slats
are to be brought down to forty-five degrees ; and they
should be long enough to allow for doing this. Young
trees are set in an inclined position in a line with these
slats, which are three feet apart. Each tree is cut back
to a few buds, and one shoot allowed to grow from the
Fil?. 106. — COEDON-TBAINrNQ OF PEAK TREES.
strongest bud, all the others beins^ removed. This shoot,
as it grows, is kept tied to the slat, and when it throws
out side shoots, as it soon will, they are pinched back to
three or four leaves, whenever the shoot is sufficiently
developed to allow the number of the leaves to Be seen.
By growing in this inclined position, and by pinching
every shoot back to three or four leaves, the tree is
dwarfed and made to bear early, and, when properly
managed, forms a perfect cordon or garland, with fruit
PEARS.
297
Fig. 107. — BARTLETT FEAB.
298 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
along its whole length. Figure 106 shows a portion of a
trellis of this kind.
The following varieties are recommended for either
kind of training. (For descriptions, see nursery cata-
logues.) BeuiTe d'Anjou, Seckel, Beurre Bosc, Sheldon,
Summer Doyenne, Winter Nelis, D .ichesse d'Angouleme,
Doyenne Boussock, Lawrence, Howell, Belle Lucrative,
Louise Bonne de Jersey, and Bartlett (figure 107). Beurre
Bosc, Sheldon, and Winter Nelis on Quince stock should
bd double worked.
VEGETABLE GARDEN.
299
1
COTTAGE GARDENING — A DIGRESSION. 301
CHAPTER XLV.
COTTAGE GARDENING— A DIGRESSION.
Before taking up the subject of vegetable culture, I
■will relate an incident connected with cottage gardening
that may interest, if it does not benefit, some of those into
whose hands this book may fall. About twenty years ago
I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of a gen-
tleman whose duties compelled him to be at his desk in a
close office in the city of New York, from nine o'clock
A.M. to four P.M. Being naturally of a weak constitution,
his sedentary life soon made him the victim of dyspepsy
to such a degree that he felt that he must soon resign his
situation. He was then a man of forty, entirely ignorant
of anything pertaining to country life, and it was with
great misgivings and reluctance that, by the advice of
his physician, he changed his home from a closely built
part of New York to a cottage in the then country-like
suburb of Jersey City Heights, N. J. His means enabled
him to purchase a modest cottage built on a lot fifty by
one hundred and fifty feet. He did not want the land,
he said, but the cottage was such as he fancied, and the
ground had to go with it. It was about this time that I
formed his acquaintance, through some business transac-
tion, and he asked my professional advice as to what he
could do with his land, which he had already begun to
consider somewhat of an encumbrance. I replied to him
that, if I was not greatly mistaken, in his little plot of
ground lay a cure for all his bodily ills, and that, besides,
it could add to the comforts if not the luxuries of his
table if he would only work it. ''I work it!" he ex-
claimed. *^You don't suppose that these hands could
dig or delve," holding up his thin and bloodless fingers;
and if they could, I know nothing about gardening."
t(
302 GARDEi^IN^G FOR PLEASURE.
I told him I tlionglit neither objection insurmountable,
if he once began.
The result of our conversation was, that he resolved to
try, and try he did to a purpose. Our interview was in
March, and before the end of April he had his lot all
nicely dug over, the labor being done by his own hands
during an hour and a half each morning. His custom
was to get up at six o'clock, and work at his garden until
half past seven. This gave him ample time to dress, get
breakfast, and be at his desk in the city by nine. The
labor of merely digging was (to him) heavy and rather
monotonous ; but he stuck to it bravely, and when he
again presented himself before me for plants and seeds,
and information as to what to do with them, it was with
some pride that I saw my prescription had worked so
well, for my friend then looked more like a farmer than
a pallid clerk. The regulating of his little garden was a
simple matter, and was djne according to the following
diagram :
Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Lettuce.
: Strawberries.
Cucumbers, Onions, and Parsley.
Raspberries.
Beets, Carrots, and Parsnips.
Tomatoes.
Peas and Bush Beans.
Asparagus and Rhubarb.
During his first season, of course, he made some blun-
ders and some failures, but his interest in the work in-
creased year by year. His family was supplied with an
abundance of all the fresh vegetables and fruits his lim-
ited space could admit of being grown; a supply that it
would have taken at least one hundred and fifty dollars
to purchase at retail, and stale at that. But the benefit
derived from the cultivation of this cottage garden was
THE VEGETABLE GARDEIN'. 303
health— strong, rugged health — that, for the six years he
was my neighbor, never once failed him.
I know this case is an extremely exceptional one, for I
never knew anotlier man who so resolutely worked him-
self into health. There are hundreds of business men,
book-keepers, salesmen, clerks, and the like, who live in
the suburbs of all great cities, many of whom can ill
afford to pay for tlie keeping of the plots surrounding
their cottages, but ^vho think they can far less afford to
do the work themselves. As a consequence, in nine cases
out of ten, the rear, at least, of their suburban plots is a
wilderness of weeds. But this is not the leazt of the
evils. The owner has a certain amount of muscular force,
and this, be it more or less, being unused, its possessor
pays the penalty of his laziness in dyspe|)sy and a host
of other ills. The proofs are apparent everywhere that
garden operations are conducive to health and longevity.
The work is not unduly laborious, and when fairly en-
tered into has a never-failing interest. The growing and
the watching of the great variety of plants give a healthy
tone to the mind,Avhile the physical labor demanded by
cultivation takes care of the body.
CHAPTER XLVL
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.
It is perhaps best that the space allotted to vegetables
should be at one side of the garden, and that for fruits
at the other, at least in the beginning, though a rotation
of crops or change of position may be advantageous in
course of time. Figure 108 gives a convenient plan for
the Fruit and Vegetable Garden. I will give in brief the
304
GAUDEXING FOR PLEASURE.
U i 'i ^
iHh-i-n
111 II li
¥=F^
bo
culture of each vegetable in general use, placing them
alphabetically for easy reference, and enumerate the lead-
ing varieties.
ASPARAGUS {Asparagtis officinalis).
Asparagus should be planted the first spring that
the owner comes into possession of the land. In the
latitude of IN'ew York any time from April 1st to May
ASPARAGUS.
305
15th ; and if the house is yet to be built, let the Aspara-
gus bed be planted at once, as it takes the roots two or
three years to acquire sufficient strength to give a crop.
For an ordinary family a bed of six rows of fifty or
sixty feet in length, and three feet apart, will be suf-
ficient, the plants in the rows being set nine inches
apart. In planting it is customary to use two-year-old
plants ; but it often happens that as large a plant
is raised from seed in good soil in one year as in a
Fig. 109. — ASPARAGUS.
poorer soil in two years. In such cases the one-year-
old plant is preferable.
The preparation of the Asparagus bed should be made
with more care than for most vegetables, from the fact
that it is a permanent crop, which ought to yield as well
at the end of twenty-five as of five years, if the soil has
been well prepared. The Asparagus bed, to start with,
should be on ground thoroughly drained, either naturally
or artificially, and if choice cau be had, on a rather light,
306
GARDEiq"IN^G FOR PLEASURE.
sandy loam. This should be
trenched and mixed with suf-
ficient manure to foi'm a coat-
ing at least six inches thick
oyer the bed. This manure
should be worked into the
soil by trenching to the depth
of two feet, as the roots of
the plant will reach quite
that depth in a few years.
In setting, the crowns of the
plants should be placed at
least three inches below the
surface. Asparagus may be
planted either in the spring
or the fall. If in the spring,
it should be done as early as
the ground is dry enough to
work ; and if in the fall, just
as soon as the plants can be
had, which is usually in the
early part of October. We
prefer fall planting on light,
well-drained soils, for the rea-
son that, if it is done then,
young roots are formed which
are ready to grow on the ap-
proach of spring; but if the
planting is done in March,
April, or May, this formation
of new roots has to take place
then and causes a correspond-
ing delay in growth. Plants
are sold by market gardeners
and seedsmen; and as it will
Fig. iio.-PALMETTo ASPAEAGus. savc a ycar or two to pur-
ARTICHOKE, GLOBE. 307
chase them, it is not worth while to raise them from
seed in a private garden.
The edible portion is the undeveloped stems, which, if
cut away as soon as they appear, are followed by others,
which start from the crown of the plant. The cutting,
if continued too long, would finally exhaust the root ;
hence it is customary to stop cutting as soon as early
peas become plent}^ and allow the remaining shoots to
grow during the rest of the season, and thus accu-
mulate sufiicient strength in the plant to allow it to pro-
duce another crop of shoots the next season. The en-
graving (figure 109) represents a strong plant with the
earth removed from the roots. The shoots are shown in
diiferent stages of development, and it will be seen how
readily careless cutting may injure the buds which are
ready to produce a succession of shoots.
The surface of the Asparagus bed should have a top-
dressing of three or four inches of rough stable manure
every fall (November), which should be lightly forked
into the bed in the spring. The variety mostly grown- is
the Colossal, although the new French variety, known as
the Palmetto (figure 110), is likely to supersede it, its
merit being that the shoots grow more uniformly large
than the Colossal.
In some localities Asparagus is attacked by an insect
called the Asparagus Beetle. The best method of getting
rid of this pest, that we have found, is to coop up a hen,
and let the chickens eat the insects and their eggs.
ARTICHOKE, GLOBE {Cynara Scohjmus).
The portion used of this plant is the undeveloped
flower cluster, or the portion which is known as the
scales of the involucre. They are boiled and served with
drawn butter ; but outside of France they do not seem to
be very generally appreciated. The plants are propagated
308
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
first by seeds, sown in a hot-bed in March, and planted
out at distances of from two to three feet. It is not
always hardy enough for
our winters in the North-
ern States, though it
proves so in all latitudes
south of Washington.
Here it is necessary, on
the approach of winter,
to draw the leaves togeth-
er and earth up around
them, and later to cover
the tops with litter.
ARTICHOKE, JERUSALEM
{Rclianthics tvberosus).
This is an entirely dif-
ferent plant from the pre-
ceding; but as the two are
sometimes confounded,
we give engravings of
both. The edible por-
tion of this is the tuber.
Fior. lll.~GLOBE AKTICnOKE.
while that of the Glohe Artichoke is the scales surround-
ing the flowers. The tubers of the Jerusalem Artichoke
somewhat resemble the Potato in appearance, and the
Fig. 112. — JERUSALEM AKTICHOKE.
plant produces immense crops. But few persons in this
country like the flavor, and it is rarely grown unless for
stock or as a curiosity. Its culture is similar to the
BEAN.
300
Potato. It has stems, leaves, and flov/ers macli like th^
common annual Sunflower, to which fr.mily it belongs.
BEAN (Fhaseolus vvXgans var. nanus), BUSH, SNAP, OR KIDNEY.
An indispensable vegetable, of easy cultivation, grow-
ing freely in almost any soil, though in Avell-enriched
land it will be more prolific in quantity and more tender
in quality. It is a plant of tropical origin, and, like all
such, shonld not be sown until the weather is settled and
warm, and all danger from frost is past. In this latitude,
the time of sowing should not be sooner than the fifth of
May. Sow at intervals of two or three weeks all through
the season, if wanted for use. Seed may be sown in drills
eighteen to twenty-four inches apart, and three inches
deep, dropping the seeds at distances of two or three
inches in the drills, and covering to the general level.
For such as use them all through the season, three or
four quarts would be required, although a quart at one
sowing would give an ample quantity for any average
family. The varieties most in use at present are Red
Valentine, Early Mohawk, Yellow Six AVeeks, Refugee,
White Marrowfat, Black Wax, and Golden Wax.
BEAN, POLE OR RUNNING, AND LIMA {Phaseolus lunatics).
Pole Beans are usually cultivated in hills three or four
feet apart. The poles (which are best made of young
cedar trees) should be nine or ten feet high, and firmly
fixed at least eighteen inclies deep in the ground, and the
hills formed around them by digging up the soil and
mixing it with a shovelful of well-rotted manure, or an
ounce or so of guano or bone-dust, if the stable manure
is not attainable ; but in either case let the mixing be
thorough. The hills should be but two or tliree inches
above the general level, and at least eighteen inches in
310 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
diameter. The term '' bill" is an unfortunate one, as it
often leads inexperienced persons to suppose that a tall
heap must be made, and it is a common mistake to form
miniature hills often a foot or more in bight, upon which
to sow seeds or set plants. The effect of this is to confine
t!ie roots to this small, high, and dry space. When the
word 'Miill" is used in this work, it is to indicate the
place plants are to occupy, and unless some bight is
mentioned, it is not above the general level. After the
hill has been properly formed around the pole, from five
to six beans should be planted around it at a depth of
two inches ; but the planting should never be done in this
latitude before the 20th of May. In all our experience
as seedsmen, we know of no seed that is so universally
replanted as Lima Beans. I think it safe to say, that at
least half of all the people who buy, plant before the
ground is dry and warm, and then tell us that the seed
must have been bad, because it rotted in the ground. In
the hurry of business we have not always time to explain
why they rotted, and would here state, for the sake of
ourselves and cotemporaries, that the reason why the
Limas fail to grow in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred
is, that they are planted too early, and that it is no fault
of the seed, which is rarely imperfect. The proper
method of planting Lima Beans is to push each one
singly into the soil, from one to two inches deep, with the
eye down\vard. The embryo is so very broad and flat
that it is difficult for it to turn itself as smaller seeds do
when placed in a wrong position. From one to two
quarts are used for an ordinary family.
The Large White Lima is the variety that is most
prized.
The Jersey Extra Early Lima is a new and excellent
variety, nearly a w^eek earlier than the Large Lima,
though not quite so large.
The Scarlet Runner is a highly ornamental variety,
BEET — BORECOLE. 311
producing dazzling scarlet flowers during the whole
summer. It is used mainly as a snap bean. Lima Beans
are usually planted only once in this latitude, as they
take nearly the whole season to mature.
All kinds of running or pole beans have been usually
grown on poles eight or ten feet long ; but the new pea
vine trellis (see ^'Implements"), introduced in 1887, is
infinitely better and far more convenient.
BEET {Bsta vulgaris).
Sow in shallow drills twelve to eighteen inches apart
in April or May, dropping the seeds so that they will fall
an inch or so apart. When the plants have grown to the
hight of about two inches, thin out, so that they will
stand four inches apart. When the roots are three inches
in diameter they are fit for use. Of course they are used
when much larger, but the younger they are, the more
delicate and tender. Four ounces of each kind will be
sufficient for ordinary family use, unless successional
crops are wanted, when double the quantity may be used.
The kinds most used are Egyptian Turnip, Eclipse, and
Long Smooth Blood.
BORECOLE OR KALE {Brassica oleracea var.).
The rather indefinite name of *' sprouts" is given to
this vegetable about New York. It is sown here in Sep-
tember, in rows one foot apart, treated in every way as
Spinach, and is ready for use in early spring. Four
ounces of seed are sufficient to sow thret' hundred feet of
row. Two varieties of this, but little grown here, are
the Scotch Kale, or Curled Greens, and the Dwaif
German Greens. The former is of a deep green color,
the latter bluish purple. Both varieties are much curled,
almost like Parsley. The seeds of these arc sown in
May, and transplanted in July, just as we do late Cab-
312 GARDENIJq^G FOR PLEASURE.
bages, at distances of two feet apart each way. These
'* Greens," of either variety, when touched by frost, are
the most tender and delicate of all the cabbage tribe, and
it has always been a matter of wonder to me why their
cultivation has not been more general in this country.
In Britain they are used very extensively as a wdnter
vegetable. The most popular German variety is Purple
Borecole. The most popular English variety is Cottager's
Kale, very hardy and profitable, more weight of it being
grown in the same space than of any other variety. An
ounce of each kind is about the average quantity used.
BROCCOLI {Brassica olcracen var.).
We persist in growing under the two distinct names of
Broccoli and Cauliflower, plants which at best are noth-
jnof more than verv nearly related varieties. The main
difference between them is, that what we call Broccoli is
planted for fall use, while that w^iich we call Cauliflower
is planted for spring or summer use ; though in this
respect they are frequently reversed without seeming to
mind it. For fall use a packet of seed should be sown in
the early part of May, which will give plants large enough
to be set out in July. Further south the sowii^ig of the
seed should be delayed from four to six weeks later, and
the plants be set out correspondingly later. Here we put
them out in July, though further south it may be de-
layed to August or September. In the mild autumn
weather of those latitudes this vegetable may be had in
perfection from November to March, while with us, if
planted out in July it matures during October and
November. The plants are set at two and a half to three
feet apart, and as a hundred plants? are all that most
families would use, it is usually cheaper to buy them, if
in a section where they are sold, than to raise the plants
from seed. Broccoli requires an abundance of manure.
"The varieties are —
BRUSSELS SPROUTS.
313
TVhite and Pnr2:tle Cape.—ThQm is no difference in
flavor, thoiL^li the white is the most pleasant looking
vegetable when cooked.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS {Brassica oleracea var.).
This vegetable, as the engraving shows, is a variety of
the Cabbage which forms scarcely any terminal bud or
head ; but the buds along the stem, which in the ordi-
Fig. 113. — BRUSSELS SPROUTS,
nary Cabbage remain small, are in this developed into
small heads, which are the edible portion. Brussels
Sprouts are much more used in Europe than with us.
Though the plant is not sufficiently hardy to endure our
northern winters, it will stand in this latitude until
314 GARUEXING FOR PLEASURE.
Christmas. Its cultivation is exactly similar in all re-
spects to that of Broccoli, except that it may be planted
closer, say from one and a half to two feet apart.
CAULIFLOWER {Brassica oleracea var.).
There is quite an ambition among amateur gardeners
to raise early Cauliflower; but as the conditions necessary
to success with this are not quite so easy to command as
with most other vegetables, probably not one in three
who try it succeed. In England, and most places on
the Continent of Europe, it is the most valued of all
vegetables, and is grown there nearly as easily as early
Cabbages. But it must be remembered that the temper-
ature there is on the average ten degrees lower at the
time it matures (June) than with us; besides, their
atmosphere is much more humid, two conditions essen-
tial to its best development. I will briefly state how
early Cauliflowers can be most successfully grown here.
First, the soil must be well broken and pulverized by
spading or plowing to at least a foot in depth, mixing
through it a layer of three or four inches of strong, well-
rotted" stable manure. The plants may be either those
from seed sown last fall and wintered over in cold frames,
or else started from seeds sown in January or February,
in a hot-bed or greenhouse, and planted in small pots or
boxes, so as to make plants strong enough to be set out
as soon as the soil is fit to work, which in this latitude is
usually the first week in April. We are often applied to
for Cauliflower plants as late as the end of May, but the
chances of their forming heads when planted late in May
are slim indeed.
The surest way to secure the heading of Cauliflowers
is to use what are called hand-glasses, some of which are
described in the chapter on *' Implement?." These are
usually made about two feet square, which gives room
CAULIFLOWER.
1)15
enough for three or four plants of Cauliflower, until the}'
are so far forwarded that the glass can be taken off.
AVheii the hand-glass is used, the Cauliflowers may be
planted out in any warm border early in March and
covered by them. This covering protects them from
frosts at night, and gives the necessary increase of tem-
peratiiro for growth during the cold weeks of March and
April ; so that by the first week in May, if the Cauli-
flower has been properly hardened off by ventilating (by
tilting up the hand-glasses on one side), they may be
Fig. 114,— HENDERSON'S EARLY SNOWBALL CAULIFLOWER.
taken off altogether, and then used to forward Tomatoes,
Melons, or Cucumbers, at which date these may be
started, if under the protection of hand-glasses. If the
weather is dry, the Cauliflowers will be much benefited
by being thoroughly soaked with water twice or thrice a
week; not a mere sprinkling, which is of no use, but
a complete drenching, so that the water will reach to the
lowest roots. If the ground is slightly sprinkled around
the roots with guano before watering, all the better.
The best varieties of Cauliflower we have found as yet are
the Early Snowball (figure 114), introduced by me in
316
GARDEXING FOR PLEASURE.
1883, and, for succession, Early Paris or Algiers. These
instructions refer to the early crop of Cauliflower. For
late or fall crop sow the seeds in May, and plant out as
for Cabbage in June or July. In our climate there is
usually more success with late than early Cauliflower.
CABBAGE {Brassica oleracea var.).
The Cabbage is so easily raised that but little space
need be devoted to it here. Like all of its tribe, it re-
quires an abundance of manure for its full development.
Fig. 115. — CABBAGE, SAVOY.
The early varieties should be either raised in cold frames
or in hot-beds, as stated foj Cauliflower, and planted out
at distances of from twenty to thirty inches apart each
"way, as early as the ground is fit to work in April. The
best early varieties are the Early Wakefield and Early
CARROT.
317
Summer. As a siiccessional variet}' the Winiiingstadt
is yery popular. It has a sharply conical head, and
sometimes grows quite large.
For late varieties, the seed should be sown in May, and
the plants set out in June or July at two to three feet
apart. For winter use the Flat Dutch or Drumhead is
usually grown, to the exclusion of all others ; and while
the Curled Savoy is vastly better flavored, not one Savoy
is planted for every thousand Drumhead. The flavor of
Fig. 116.— VARIETIES OF THE
CARROT.
1. — EARLY FRENCH FORCING.
2.— EARLY HORN,
3.— LONG ORANGE.
the Savoy is as superior to that of tlie Drumhead, as that
of a Bartlett is to that of a choke pear, and it is alto-
gether the best late Cabbage for family use, and the
wonder is how long it has taken for it to be appreciated
here, though we f nd its culture is mcreasing rapidly.
CARROT {Daucus Carota).
Carrots are sown any time from April to June, in rows
one foot apart, covering the seed two inches deep. If
318 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
the soil is light, they will be better flayored. When the
plants are an inch or so high, thin out to three or four
inches apart. The varieties most in use are Early French
Forcing, Early Horn, and Long Orange. Eight ounces
of seed will sow three hundred feet of row, which, for
most families, would be an abundance, both for summer
and winter use. Carrots are much prized as food for
horses and cows, and if wanted for this purpose in quan-
tity, they should be sown with a seed-drill, in rows one
and a half to two feet apart. About foui* pounds of seed
per acre are required.
CELERY (Aphtm graveolens].
If I am fitted to instruct on the cultivation of any veg-
etable, it is this, as for many years I have cultivated
nearly half a million roots annually, and this experience
has resulted in greatly simplifying the operation. The
seeds are sown on a well-pulverized, rich border, in the
open ground, as early in the season as the ground can be
worked. The bed is kept clear of weeds until July, when
the plants are set out for the crop. But as the seedling
plants are rather troublesome to raise, the small number
wanted for private use can usually be purchased cheaper
than they can be raised on a small scale (they cost from
fifty cents to a dollar per hundred); and if they can be
procured fresh from the seedsmen, market gardeners, or
florists in the neighborhood, it is never worth while to sow
the seed, as from three hundred to five hundred plants are
ample for ordinary sized families. The European plan is to
make a trench six or eight inches deep in which to plant
Celery; but our violent rain storms in summer soon
showed us that this plan was not a good one here, so we
set about planting on the level surface of the ground,
just as we do with all vegetables.
Celery is a ^' gross feeder," and requires two or three
CELERY. 319
inches thick of well-rotted manure, which, as usual,
must be well mixed and incorporated with the soil before
the Celery is set out. If stable manure is not convenient,
bone dust, guano, or other concentrated fertilizer may
be sown on the rows about as thick as sand or sawdust is
strewn on a floor, and well chopped in and mixed with
the coil. Whether stable manure or a concentrated
fertilizer be used, it should be spread over and mixed to
at least twelve inches in width and six inches in depth.
When the ground is thus prepared, we stretch a line to
the distance required, and beat it slightly with a spade,
so that it leaves a mark to show where to place the
plants. These are set out at distances of six inches
between the plants, and usually four feet between the
rows. Great care must be taken in putting out the
Celery, to see that the plant is set just to the depth of
the roots. If much deeper, the "heart" might be too
much covered up, which would impede the growth. It
is also important that the soil be well packed to the root
m planting ; and if the operation can be done in the
evening, and the plants copiously watered, no farther
watering will usually be required.
If planted in July, nothing is to be done but keep the
crop clear of weeds until September. By that time the
handling process is to be begun, which consists in draw-
ing the earth to each side of the Celery, and pressing it
tightly to it, so as to give the leaves an upward growth
preparatory to blanching for use. Supposing this hand-
ling process is done by the middle of September, by the
first week in October it is ready for *' banking up," which
is done by digging the soil from between the rows and
laying or banking it up on each side of the row of Celery.
After being so banked up in October, it will be ready for
use in three or four weeks, if wanted at that time. But
if, as is usually the case, it is needed for winter use only,
and is to be put away in trenches, or in the cellar, as
320
GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
will be hereafter described, all that it requires is the
operation of '^landling," to straighten it up. If the
Celery is to be left in the open ground where it was grown
(as it' can be in any section of the country where the ther-
mometer does not fall more than fifteen degrees below the
freezing point), then a heavy bank must be made on each
side of the rows, and as cold weather approaches— say
by the middle of November — an additional covering of
at least a foot of leaves or litter must be closely packed
against the bank, to protect it from frost.
Perhaps the best way to keep Celery for family use is
in a cellar. This can be done by storing it in narrow
Fig. 117. — " HAN'DLING " CELERY.
boxes of a depth a little less than the hight of the Celery.
A few inches of sand or soil are placed in the bottom of
the box, and the Celery is packed upright, the roots being
placed on damp sand or earth at the bottom, hvt none is
to be put hehoeen the lieads; and be careful not to water-
the Celery, as, if packed moderately tight, the air will be
excluded, so that it will not wilt ; and the roots being
on the damp sand or soil at the bottom of the box, the
moisture there will sustain them. Boxes thus packed
and placed in a cool cellar in November, will be blanched
fit for use during January, February, and March, though,
for succession, it will be better to put it in the boxes
CELERY.
321
from the open ground at three different times, say
October 25th, November 10th, and November 20th. Or,
if boxes are not at htind, the Celery may be put away on
the floor of the celhir in strips nine or ten inches wide,
separated by spaces of the same width, and divided by
boards of a hight equal to the hight of the Celery. The
reason for dividing the Celery in these narrow strips by
boards is to prevent ' 'heating,'' which w^onld take place
if the plants were packed together in too thick masses.
The dates above given apply, of course, to the latitude
of New York. If farther south, do the work later ; if
farther north, earlier. If one has no suitable cellar, the
/ft ^1^ ^^ if J*
Fig. 118— SHOWS CELERY BANKED UP.
Celery can be very readily preserved in the manner fol-
lowed by market gardeners, thus :
After it has been 'Mianaled" or straightened up, as
before described, what is intended for use by Christmas
should be dug up by about October 25th ; that to be
used in January and February, by November 10th ; and
that for March use, by November 20th, which latter
date is as late-as it can be risked here. Although it will
stand quite a sharp frost, the weather by the end of
November is often severe enough to kill it, or so freeze
it in the ground that it cannot be dug up. The ground
in which it is to be preserved for winter use must be as
322
GAKDENIKG FOR PLEASURE.
dry as possible, and so arranged that no water can remain
in the trench. Dig a trench as narrow as possible (it
should not be wider than ten inches), and of a depth
equal to the hight of the Celery ; that is, if the plant of
Celery be eighteen inches high, the trench should be dug
eighteen inches deep. The Celery is then packed exactly
in the manner described for storing in boxes to be placed
in the cellar; that is, stand it as nearly npright as possible,
and pack as closely together as can be done without
bruising it. As the weather becomes cold, the trenches
should be gradually covered with leaves or litter to the
thickness of six or eight inches, Avhich will be enough to
m:^
Fig. 119. — STORING CELERY IN TRENCHES FOR WINTEB.
prevent severe freezing, and enable the roots to'be taken
out easily when wanted. Figure 119 represents this
method of storing Celery in trenches for winter nse.
The best varieties of Celery for family use I believe to
be the four described below :
White Plume, introduced by me in 1884, is now
perhaps more largely grown than any other Celery, and
possesses all the best qualities of the be^t of the old
kinds. It has the great merit of being nearly self-
blanching, as in its natural growth, without being
earthed up, the inner stems and leaves are white, and
nearly fit for use without being blanched artificially.
CELERY. 323
The flavor, however, is much improved by blanching, so
that it is necessary to at least handle and earth up this
variety to half its higlit to get the best results. Another
Fig. 120.— HENDERSON'S WHITE PLUME CELERY.
great merit of the White Plume Celery is that, while
being unsurpassed in flavor, it excels all other vegetables
324 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
as an ornament for the dinner table, its graceful white
leaves resembling somewhat an ostrich feather. We sent
samples of it to all the leading hotels in New York the
present season, from all of which we had the most flatter-
ing testimonials of its excellence.
Sandringham.— This is a dwarf, full-hearted kind,
and, when it does well, is one of the very best, equaled
by none in fact; but it has a great tendency to rust or
burn, which impairs its value. A new sport from this,
known as the Golde7i Self- Blanching, is somewhat of an
improvement on the Sandringham.
For general use the Golden Dwarf comes next in
merit to the White Plume. It is a short-growing or
half-dwarf sort, with yellowish heart, solid and crisp.
A variety introduced by us in 1886, called the Rose,
is the best of all the Red or Pink Celeries. The red kinds
are used nearly exclusively in the London markets, as
they are certainly more crisp and better flavored than
any of the white kinds, besides being hardier and less
liable to rot in winter ; but, so far, they are comparatively
little used in this country. While we sell nearly a thou-
sand pounds of seed each of such kinds as White Plume
and Gclden Dwarf annually, we do not, as yet, sell one-
tenth of that quantity of the Red.
CELERIAC, OR TURNIP-ROOTED CELERY {^Apium graveolms var .).
This is grown almost the same as the common Celery ;
and as it requires but little earthing-up, the rows may
be nearer together. Its turnip-like root is used as a
salad, mostly by the French and Germans. It is some-
times stewed, but usually simply boiled, sliced, and
dressed as a salad for the table.
CORN-SALAD OR EETTICUS {Valerianella olitoHa).
This is sold to a considerable extent in spring in i\\Q
city markets for use as an early salad. For mode of cul-
CHIVES — CRESS— CORN. 325
tivation, etc., see Spinach, as it is grown in exactly the
same manner.
CHIVES (^Allium Schcenoprasum).
An entirely hardy, onion-like plant, of easy culture.
It will grow on almost any soil for years without being
transplanted. The leaves are the part used, and may be
shorn off every two weeks during summer. It is propa-
gated by tearing apart the old clumps and setting the
divisions in rows a foot apart.
CRESS OR PEPPER GRASS {Lepidium sativum).
A spring and summer salad plant. Sow in early spring,
and in succession every week or so if desired, in rows
one foot apart. The curled variety is the best, as it can
be used for garnishing as well as for salad.
CRESS, WATER {Nasturtium officinale).
A hardy aquatic plant, which can only be properly cul-
tivated wliere there are running streams. If there is a
brook on the place, all that would be wanted for private
use may be had by setting a few plants or sowing seeds
in spring on tlie margin of the water. There is a variety
recently introduced known as '' Upland Cress," that can
be grown in an ordinary garden. It is almost identical
in flavor with the Water Cress.
CORN {Zea Mays).
The varieties known as "Sweet" are the kinds culti-
vated to be used in the green state. Corn may either be
planted in " hills" (dropping three or four seeds in a hill)
four feet apart each way, or in rows live feet apart, drop-
ping the seeds at distances of eight or ten inches in the
rows. In this latitude it is useless to plant Corn before
the middle of May. For successional crops it should be
326
GAEDENIJ^G FOR PLEASURE.
CUCUMBER. 327
planted every two or three weeks until July first. After
that date it will not mature here. Corn requires a rich,
light soil to be earl}'. The leading yarieties are shown
in figure 131. Three or four quarts are required, if
successional crops are sown. If only one crop, two or
three pints will be sufficient for an ordinary family.
CUCUMBER {Cucumis satitms).
In most places where the Cucumber is grown out-
doors, it is more or less troubled with the '^Striped
Bug ; " but if only a few dozen hills are cultivated, it is
not a very troublesome matter to pick them off, which is
about the only sure way to get rid of them. The safest
method of raising Cucumbers, however, is to cover the
seeds, when first sown, with the hand-glass described in
the chapter on '^Iini^lements," which, by the time they
are wanted for Cucumbers, are no longer needed over
Cauliflowers. If such hand-glasses are not obtainable, a
simple method is to use a light box ten or twelve inches
square, and place it over the seeds after sowing, covering
it with a pane of glass. This
will not only forward the ger-
mination of the seeds, but will
protect the plants against the
bugs until they are strong
enough not to be injured by
them. Bryant's Plant Protec-
tor, a simple article, made of
light strips of wood covered ^^^- ^^''^•
.,, ., ... BRYANT'S PLANT PROTECTOB.
With mosquito netting, may
be used instead of a hand-glass. This uill be found
equally valuable for protecting all plants liable to the
attacks of flying insects, and against the light frosts
so often injurious to tender plants. Light, sandy soil
is rather best for Cucumbers. The "hills" should
328 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
be prepared in the same manner as for Lima Beans,
but set three feet apart, dropping five or six seeds in
each hill. Cucumbers may be sown about the middle of
May, and in succession, every three or four weeks, until
July. The White Spine and Long Green Prickly are
favorite varieties. The Gherkin or Burr is by some used
for jDickling.
Forcing Oltcumbers. — The forcing house shown at
page 267 as suitable for Strawberry forcing, can be made
equally available for forcing Cucumbers, either during
the entire winter or spring season, or to succeed the
early forced crops of vegetables or fruits in spring.
If wanted for forcing Cucumbers during the fall or
winter, the seed should be sown in the greenhouse in
October or November, in small pots, three or four seeds
in each, and thinning out to one strong plant. These,
if grown in a temperature averaging seventy-five degrees,
will in thirty days have become sufficiently strong to
plant out at twenty-four inches apart on the south side
of the bench, one row only. A trellis of galvanized iron
wire is made with about a nine-inch mesh, diamond
shaped. This, on the middle bench, should be kept two
feet from the glass, but on the front bench it can only be
kept one foot, owing to its nearness to the glass. The
depth of soil should be, if on raised wooden benches,
about five or six inches ; if on the solid center bed,
ten to fifteen inches. The soil should be a sandy loam,
with one-fifth well-rotted cow manure. The night tem-
perature in the forcinor-house for the fall, winter, and
spring months for Cucumbers, should range as near as
possible from sixty to sixty-five degrees, with a tempera-
ture on bright days of from ten to fifteen degrees higher,
giving ventilation at all reasonable times. Cucumbers
delight in a moist atmosphere, and whenever the weather
is bright and clear, water should be sprinkled on the
pipes, walks, and under the benches. A dry atmosphere
CUCUMBER. 329
is certain to develop the Eed Spider, which is fatal to
success. It may also be here stated, if Cucumbers are to
be forced during the winter months, that, to keep up the
necessary high temperature, eight runs of four-inch pipes
will be required in a greenhouse twenty feet wide.
Although there is no necessity for artificial impregna-
tion of the Cucumber flowers when grown in the oi3en
air, where the insects and winds do the work, yet, when
grown in the forcing house, it is absolutely necessary,
particularly in midAvinter. This is best done with a
camel's hair pencil, by detaching the pollen, or fertilizing
dust, from the stamens and applying it to the stigma. It
will also facilitate impregnation on bright days to slightly
jar the wire trellis, so as to let the jwllen loose, which,
in floating through the air, fastens on the stigma. Tl-o
Cucumber and all plants of that class have the male ani
female flowers separate on the same plant. Cucumbers
from seed sown in October will give a continuous crop
until June — of course, if well handled. When wanted
only to succeed crops of forced Lettuce, Eadishes, or
Strawberries in spring, the seed should not be sown
until February or March. The variety for forcing which
seems to be most favorably received in our markets is
Selected Early White Spine, though, of late yearc, tlie
beautiful long kinds, such as Telegraph and Rambler,
which are almost exclusively used in Europe for forcing,
are beginning to be favorably received.
Although Cucumbers are now to be found in our
markets at nearly all seasons of the year, grown at the
south, yet they never have the fine appearance nor the
delicate flavor of those grown by being forced under
glass ; so that large areas of forcing houses for this and
other vegetable and fruit crops are now profitably used
in all our large cities, though coming in direct compe-
tition with Southern products.
330 GAllDEJSflNG FOR PLEASURE.
EGG PLANT (Solanum Melongend).
This is always an interesting vegetable to cultiyate,
being worthy of a place as an ornamental plant, as well
as being mucli prized for culinary nse. If is a native of
the tropics, and peculiarly tender. AVe find the seeds
will not germinate freely below a temperature of seventy
degrees ; and even then often tardily, unless the condi-
tions are just right. Nothing suits them so well as a
warm hot-bed ; and to get plants of the proper size to be
set in the open ground by the end of May, the seeds
should be sown early in March, and the plants potted
into small pots when an inch or so in hight. But as
only a dozen or two plants are needed for a family, when-
ever the plants can be purchased conveniently, it is never
worth the trouble to attempt the raising of them from
seeds, unless, indeed, there is room in a hot-bed, or a
hot-house used for other purposes. Do not plant out
sooner, in this latitude, than the 25th of May, unless
tliey can be protected by hand-glasses. Set at distances
of four feet apart, preparing the hills as described for
Lima Beans. Each plant should average a dozen fruits,
which will weigh from ten to forty ounces each. The best
flavored variety, in our opinion, is the Black Pekin, but
the most prolific is the New York Market. A pure
pearly white variety is highly ornamental, and also of
excellent flavor. There is also a beautiful scarlet variety,
sometimes grown as a greenhouse ornament. The Egg
Plant is usually fried in slices ; but there are other
methods to be found in the proper authorities on such
matters.
ENDIVE ( Cichorium Endivia).
A plant related to the Lettuce. If sown in early spring,
either in a hot-bed or in the open ground in April, it
will be ready in May. Set out at distances of fifteen
HERBS — GARLIC — HORSERADISH. 331
inches apart. It is mostly used towards fall, however,
and when wanted at that time, should be sown in June
or July, and set out in August or September. Nothing
further is done after planting but hoeing to keep down
tlie weeds, until it attains its full growth, which is from
twelve to eighteen inches in diameter. It is then
"blanched," either by gathering up the leaves and
tying them by their, tops in a conical form, or by placing
a slate or flat stone on the plant to exclude the liglit and
eifect the blanching. It is used as a salad. The varie-
ties are the Moss Curled and Plain-leaved Batavian.
HERBS, SWEET.
Thyme, Sage, Basil, Sweet Marjoram, and Summer
Savory are those in general use. The seeds of all should
be sown in shallow drills, one foot apart, in May, and the
plants will be fit for use in September and October.
* GARLIC {Allium sativum).
This is used mostly by Europeans. It grows freely
on any soil. The sets, obtained by breaking up the old
bulbs, are planted in early spring in rows one foot apart,
and five or six inches between the plants. When the
leaves wither, the bulbs are taken up and hung in a dry,
cool place. *
HORSERADISH {Cochlearia Armoracea).
For family use a few roots of this should be planted in
some out-of-the-way corner of the vegetable garden. A
dozen roots, once planted, will usually give enough for a
lifetime, as it increases and spreads so tliat .there is never
any danger of being without it. The trouble is, if it is
once admitted into the garden, it is difficult to bo got
rid of, if so desired.
332
GARDEJ^IXG FOR PLEASURE.
KOHLRABI. OR TURNIP-ROOTED CABBAGE (Brassica oleracea var.\
This vegetable resembles a Turnip, but is regarded as a
variety of the Cabbage, with a fleshy, edible stem. Seeds
should be sown in rows fifteen or eighteen, inches apart,
in May or June, and when an inch high, thinned out to
nine or ten inches. It is a favorite vegetable with the
Germans, and immense quantities are sold in the markets
of Xew York. There are two varieties, AVhite and Purple.
LEEK {Allium Porrum).
Sow in April, and plant out in June or July, in rows
one foot apart and six inches betAveen the plants. It is
used mainly during the winter months. It is an entirely
hardy plant ; yet, in order that it may be handy to get
at in winter, it is better to put it in trenches or boxes,
as advised for preserving Celery.
LETTUCE {Lactuca sativd).
Lettuce should be sown in a hot-bed or greenhouse, if
wanted early. Seeds sown there in February will give
Fig. 123. — ^BLACK-SEEDED SIMPSON LETTCJCE.
nice plants to set out in April, to mature in May; or, if
it is sown in the open ground in April and planted out in
MARTYKIA — MELON.
333
May, it will mature in June, and so on through the sum-
mer season if suceessional crops are desired, as it only
takes from live to six weeks to mature. The great excel-
lence of Lettuce consists in its freshness, and it can rarely
be purchased m perfect con-
dition ; hence, those who
would enjoy it in its best
state should raise it them-
selves. For early use, to be
ready in May, the Curled
Silesia and Boston Market
are the best; while for sum-
mer use the Salamander,
New York, and Black-seed-
ed Simj^son (figure 123)
should be sown, as they
do not readily run to seed.
The Cos varieties are mainly
used in Europe, and are by
far the best flavored; but, from their tendency to run
to seed in our warmer climate, are but little cultivated,
though they miglit be safely grown in the cool weather,
in spring or in fall. Although usually transplanted, the
seed is also sown in rows, and the plants thinned out to
twelve inches apart. An ounce of seed of each variety
w^ill be ample.
Fia;. 124.
PARIS WHITE COS LETTUCE.
MARTYNIA {Marty nia proboscidea).
The unripe pods, when perfectly tender, are used for
pickling. They must be gathered every day or two, or
some will become hard and useless. Sow in open ground
in May, in drills two feet apart, and thin out to one foot.
MELON, MUSK (Cucumis Blelo).
The cultivation of the Melon is almost identical with
that of the Cucumber, to which reference may be made.
334
GAEDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
Tlie varieties are numerous, those named below being the
most popular at the date I write. Early Hackensack,
Fig. 125. — BALTIMORE MUSK MELON.
Baltimore (fig-ure 125), and Montreal Market (figure 126).
(For illustrations and descriptions see seed lists.)
Fig. 123. — M02>TREAL MARKET MUSK MELON.
:MEL0N, water {CitruUus vulgaris).
The cultivation of the "Water Melon is in all respects
similar to that of the Musk Melon, except that, being a
MELON — MLSTARD. 335
larger and stronger growing plant, it requires to be
planted at greater distances. Tlie hills should, not be
less than eight feet apart each way. It delights in a
light, sandy soil, and. will not grow satisfactorily on heavy,
clayey soils. The leading sorts are named, as usual, in
Fig. 127. — SCALY BARK WATER MELON.
t!ic order of what I consider to be their excellence, and
are of the kinds most approved at the date of writing.
Phinney's Early, Rattlesnake or Gypsy, Ironclad Mam-
moth, and Scaly Bark. '^ Green and Gold," an entirely
new and excellent variety, with golden yellow flesii, will
be sent out by us the ])rescnt season (1888). (For illus-
trations and descriptions, see seed catalogues.)
MUSTARD {Si7iapis alba).
For use and cultivation see Cress.
336 GARDENI^NiG FOR PLEASURE.
MUSHROOM (Agaricus campestris).
Many who have a taste for liorticultural pursuits grow
Mushrooms as much for the novelty of the thing as for
use; for it is certainly very gratifying for an amateur
to find that he has succeeded with a cro]) of this curious
vegetable in mid-winter, when everything outside is
frost-locked and snow-bound. I have said that the nov-
elty is attractive ; for in growing all other plants the
cultivator sees something tangible to start with, either
seeds, plants, or roots, but with the Mushroom it may
be said he sees none of these; for no seeds can be discov-
ered either with the naked eye or with a magnifier, and
it requires some faith to believe the minute, thread-like
substance we call ^'^ spawn " to be either plants or roots.
Mushrooms are always raised in the dark, and any cel-
lar, stable, or an out-house of any sort, wherein a temper-
ature of forty-five to sixty-five degrees can be commanded,
will grow them. There are various methods followed by
Mushroom growers, but I will only give two, premising
that, if the directions given are strictly followed, success
is just as certain as in growing a crop of Feasor Potatoes.
Let horse droppings be procured from the stables each
day, in quantities not less than a barrow load. To every
barrow load of droppings add one-fourth the quantity of
fresh loam from a pasture or sod land, or soil of any kind
that has not been manured (the objection to old manured
soil being that it may contain the spores of spurious
fungi). Let the droppings and soil be mixed together
day by day, as the manure can be j^trocured ; or, if they
can be had all at once in sufficient quantity, so much the
better. Let the heaj:) (which should be under cover, so
as not to get wet) be turned every day, so that it is not
allowed to heat violently until you have got together a
sufficient quantity to form a bed of the desired size.
From the prepared droppings and soil, begin to form
MUSHROOM. 337
the bed. A convenient width is four feet, and the length
may be as great as desired. First spread a thin layer of
the compost, pounding it down firmly with a brick or
mallet, layer after layer, until it reaches a depth of eight
inches. Be careful tliat the thickness is just about
eight inches, as, if more, it would heat too violently,
and if less, it would not heat enough. Into this bed
plunge a thermometer. In two or three days the bed
will heat, so that the thermometer will rise to one hun-
dred degrees or over. As soon as the temperature de-
clines to ninety degrees, take a sharp stick and make
Fig. 128.— MUSHBOOMS.
holes an inch or so in diameter all over the bed, at about
a foot apart and six inches deep. Into these holes droj)
two or three pieces of '"^ spawn," and cover up the holes
again with the compost of which the bed is made, and
beat it slightly again, so that the bed will present the
same level surface as before the spawn was put in. Let
the bed remain in this condition for ten or twelve days,
by which time the spawn will liave run all through it.
Now spread evenly over the surface of the bed about two
inches of fresh loam, press it down moderately with the
338 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
back of a spade, and cover up the bed with hay or straw
to the thickness of three or four inches.
If this operation is finished in November or December,
and the place has an avei'age temperature of fifty-five de-
grees, you may look for a crop in January or February.
The bed will continue bearing about three or four weeks,
and the crop is usually enormous, often producing a
bushel on two square yards of space. After the first crop
is gathered, a second, and even a third, can be taken, if
desired, from the same bed without further trouble than
to spread a little fresh soil on the surface, giving it a
gentle watering, and covering up with hay as before.
Great care must be taken that, after placing the spawn
in the new^ly-made bed, the earth covering is not put on
sooner than ten or twelve days. In my first attempt at
Mushroom growing I failed two years in succession, be-
cause I put on the soil when the spawn was first put into
the bed. By so doing, the steam arising from the manure
was prevented from passing off, and the result was, that
the spawn rotted. I believe this very common error is
the cause of most of the failures in raising Mushrooms.
Another method of raising Mushrooms in winter in
cold cellars, or other places where there is no artificial
heat, is as follows, given by John Cullen, of Bethlehem,
Penn., whose success in Mushroom growing has been
unfailing.
*^My Mushroom cellar is a structure fifteen feet long
and twelve feet wide. Formerly it was a water cistern,
but with a little alteration was easily converted into a
Mushroom cellar. My plan of culture is as follows : In
September manure from horse stables is collected in a
heap, and to that is added one-fifth of soil. To prevent
overheating it is turned over three times a week for a
month. By that time the violent heat is subdued.
^'Making the Beds. — Having obtained a sufficiency of
horse droppings for a bed, in the right condition, that is.
MUSHROOM. 339
rather dry, and turned so as to expel the violent heat, a layer
four inches thick is placed on the floor of the cellar and
beaten down firmly. Another layer of the same thickness
is added, and the same beating process carried out, and
so on till the bed is made of sufficient thickness. I make
my beds fifteen inches in depth when artificial heat can
be obtained of fifty degrees, but in cold cellars the bed
should be at least eighteen inches.
''^Spawning the Bed. — I spawn my beds when the tem-
perature declines to eighty-five degrees at about three
inches under the surface, though the heat in the centre of
the bed may be one hundred degrees. The spawn is broken
in pieces of about one and a half to two inches, and I
insert them about seven inches apart each way, and so
deep as to admit of being covered about an inch with the
same material as the bed is composed of, firming it well
about and over the spawn.
^'Soiling the Bed. — This is done in eight days from
the time of spavming. T i3ut two inches of fine loam all
over the bed, making it firm by beating it well with the
back of the spade, damping the surface, and passing the
back of the spade over it at the last to give a smooth
finish to it. As soon as the soil is placed on the bed a
covering of hay is placed over it rather thinly, doubling
it as the heat declines.
''Gathering the Crop. — In six weeks from the time of
soiling I usually gather my first crop of Mushrooms,
and cut from ten to twelve pounds weekly from a
space of two hundred square feet, or, for the whole
crop, an average of about one pound per square foot,
some of them measuring five inches in diameter. In
ffatherin": I draw the Mushrooms out of the bed with
a twist, so as not to disturb the roots remaining, after-
ward filling tlie holes with some fresh loam. "Water about
ten degrees warmer than the cellar is applied when the
surface of the bed becomes dry."
340 GARDEKIXG FOR PLEASURE.
NASTURTIUM, INDIAN CRESS (Tropceolum majus).
A highly ornamental plant, cultivated in flower gardens
as well as in the kitchen garden. The shoots and flowers
are sometimes used in salads, but it is mainly grown for
its fruit or seed pods, which are pickled in vinegar and
used as a substitute for capers. The plant is of the
easiest culture. Sow in shallow drills in May. The tall
variety will reach a hight of ten or fifteen feet if fur-
nished with strings or wires, and makes an excellent
screen for shade, or for quickly covering up and conceal-
ing any unsightly place. The dwarf variety is grown
like Peas, and staked with brush, or grown on the
garden trellis.
OKRA OR GUMBO {Ahelmoschus esculentus).
A vegetable of the easiest culture. Sow in drills in
May, three feet apart for dwarf and four feet for tall
sorts, in drills two or three inches deep. The long pods,
when very young and tender, are used in soups, stews,
etc., and are very nutritious.
ONION {Allium cepa).
Onions are raised either from ''sets," which are small
dry Onions grown the previous year, or from seeds.
When grown from the sets, they should be planted
out as early in spring as the ground is dry enough to
work. Plant them in rows one foot apart, with the sets
three or four inches apart. \V hen raised from sets, the
Onions can be used in the green state in June, or they
will be ripened off by July. When raised from seeds,
these are sown at about the same distance between the
rows, and when the young plants are an inch or so high,
they are thinned out to two or three inches apart. It is
important that Onion seed be sown very early. In this
latitude it should be sown not later than the middle of
ONIOX.
341
April ; for, if delayed until May, warm weather sets in
and delays, or rather prolongs the growth until fall, and
often the bulbs will not ripen. We find that, unless the
Ouion tops dry oft* and the bulbs ripen by August, they
will hardly do so later. The best known sorts are Early
Flat Red, Yellow Globe Dauvers, and South port White
Globe. The Italian kinds best suited for the Southern
States are White Queen and Red Giant Rocca.
Two kinds are grown exclusively from bulbs. One of
Fig. 129. — souTnpoRT white globe onion.
these is the Potato Onion, or ''Multiplier," which in-
creases by the bulb splitting up and dividing itself into
six or eight smaller bulbs, which in turn form the sets
to plant for the next crop. The other variety is what is
called the Top Onion, which forms little bulbs on the
stem in the place of flowers. These bulbs are in clusters,
and about the size of hazel nuts. The bulbs are broken
342 GARDENIJTG FOR PLEASURE.
apart, and planted in spring at the same distances as the
'•sets" referred to on page 340. All mature in August.
PARSLEY (Apium retroselinum).
But a Tery small quantity of this is usually wanted in
the family garden. Sow in shallow drills in April or
May. A good plan is to sow in shallow boxes as much as
may be needed. They can be placed wherever there is mod-
erate light and no frost, in the kitchen window or similar
place. By this means a fresh supply may be kept on
hand in hard winter weather, when it is most desirable
to have it, either for garnishing dishes or for other uses.
The best variety to grow is the Moss or Double Curled.
PARSNIP {Pastinaca sativa).
'For the mode of cultivation of Parsnips, see Carrot,
as their culture is identical, except that this, being
hardy, can be left out in winter, while in this latitude
Carrots cannot. A portion of the crop may be dug and
stored in the cellar or in trenches, and the remainder
may be left until spring. The Hollow Crowned is best
for general use.
PEA (Pisum sativum).
The Pea is indispensable in the garden, and there is
more satisfaction in growing it on one's own ground
than there is in raising any other vegetable. If too old
when picked, or stale, which is too often the case when
purchased from the dealers. Peas have but little resem-
blance to those taken directly from the vines. For an
early crop Peas should be one of the first things sown in
the spring. We prefer to sow in double rows, which
saves half the labor in staking or bushing up, and gives
nearly the same crop to the row as if sown in single row^s.
PEA.
343
344 GAKDENING FOR PLEASURE.
Double rows are made at eight or nine inches apart, and
four feet from other rows. Set a line, and draw the
drills three or four inches deep with a hoe. The seed
should be sown, as nearly as possible, an inch or so
apart. In order to have a succession of crops of Peas,
they should be sown every two or three weeks until
July. If successional crops are grown, an average quan-
tity for a family would be twelve quarts ; if only first
crops of early and late, from four to six quarts will
be sufficient.
The new Pea Vine Trellis, described in the chapter on
*' Implements," is the most valuable acquisition to Pea
growing ever introduced. We used it the past season on
over two thousand feet of row in our trial ground with the
most gratifying results, finding it not only much better
for the purpose than the ordinary "pea stakes" cut from
the woods, but far more sightly; and taking into con-
sideration that the pea vine trellis may be used for a
dozen years, it is actually cheaper.
The varieties of Peas are almost innumerable, and new
sorts — or at least sorts with new names — are sent out
every year. They may be classed in two groups, the
round and the wrinkled Peas. The round varieties are
the earliest, but they are as much inferior to the v/rinkled
or marrow kinds as field is to sweet corn. These two
groups are subdivided according to hight. The earliest
round Pea we have found to be a selection made by us,
and sent out in 1883 under the name of First of All.
The earliest wrinkled variety is the American Wonder
(figure 130).
These two are really all that are needed for private use
for early, while for successio7ial or late kinds, Champion
of England (figure 131) and Telephone seem 3'et the best.
But all seed catalogues now give very full illustrations
and descriptions of new kinds, which are being yearly in-
troduced, and to which my readers are referred.
PEA.
345
346 GARDEXII^G FOR PLEASURE.
PEPPER OR CAPSICUM {Capsicum annuum).
The Pepper is sown and cultivated in all respects the
same as the Egg Plant, whicJi may be referred to. The
leading varieties are the Bull Nose or Bell (scarlet), the
Golden Dawn (yellow), and the Long Red Cayenne.
POTATO {Solanum tuberosum).
Potatoes are grown by planting the tubers, either cut
or whole, it makes but little difference which. If large,
cut them ; if small, leave them uncut. They are usually
planted in drills three feet apart, and four or five inches
deep. The ground should be prepared by first spreading
in the drills a good coat of stable manure, say two inches
deep, upon wiiich are planted the tubers or sets, at dis-
tances of eight or ten inches apart. In a warm exposure
planting may be begun early in April, and the crop will
be fit for use in June. Some of the small-leaved varieties,
such as the Ash-leaved Kidney, w^ere formerly grown
under hand glasses, or in frames, to forward them; but
now this is hardly worth the trouble, as our supplies from
southern latitudes are so early that it is no longer desir-
able to force the crop. The generally favorite variety for
early crops is still the Early Rose. Among other greatly
improved sorts for the general crop are Early Puritan,
Vanguard, and Beauty of Hebron; but there are scores of
other varieties which have a special or local reputation.
PU^IPKIN {CucurUta Pepo).
Pumpkins are still grown in many gardens with a te-
nacity that is astonishing, when it should long ago have
been known that they have no business there, as their
first cousins, the Squashes, are eminently superior for
every culinary purpose whatever. The Pumpkin is a
valuable product for the farm, as a food for cattle, but
RADISH — RHUBARB. 347
for nothing else. If people will waste valuable land in
raising Pumpkins^ they may plant them the same as di-
rected for Squashes.
RADISH {Raphanus sativus).
One of the first vegetables that we crave in spring is
the Radish, and it is so easy of culture that every family
can have it fresh, crisp, and in abundance. A garden
patch of a few feet square will give enough for an ordi-
nary family. It is sown either in drills or broadcast, care
being taken that the seed is not put in too thickly; from
one to two inches apart, either in drill or broadcast,
being the proper distance, as usually every seed germi-
nates. The best varieties are the Red and French
Turnip, and the Short Top Long, Red or White. Some
beautiful fancy kinds have been recently introduced,
equally as crisp and well flavored as the older sorts, and
which are very ornamental for the table besides. The
most marked are the Round White-tipped Turnip Radish
and the Long Chartier, white tipped. If wanted specially
early, the above sorts are best for hot-bed forcing ; for
summer and winter use the yellow and gray varieties are
preferred.
RHUBARB OR PIE-PLANT {Rheum Rhaponticum).
Rhubarb may be planted in either fall or spring, using
either plants raised from the seed, or sets obtained by di-
vision of the old roots, taking care to have a bud to each.
Set at distances of three or four feet apart each way.
The place where each plant is to be set should be dug
eighteen inches deep and the same in width, and the
soil mixed w^ith two or three shovelfuls of well-rotted
stable manure. Two dozen strong plants will be enough
for the w^ants of an average family. If desired in winter
or early spring, a few roots can be taken up and placed
348
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
in a warm cellar or any such dark and warm place. The
roots, if the cellar is dark, may be put in a box with
earth around them, or, if in a light cellar, they may be
put in the bottom of a barrel with earth, and the top
covered. The only care needed is to see that the roots
do not get too dry, though water is rarely necessary when
the plants are placed in a dark cellar. The useful por-
tions are the long and thick leaf-stalks, and these, when
Fig. 132.— ST. martin's RHmBARB.
forced, are much finer in flavor than when grown exposed
to air and light in the open garden. The plants in the
open ground should have the flower stalks cut away as
they appear. In gathering do not cut the leaf stalks, as
they will readily come away by a sidewise pull, and leave
no remnant to decay. The varieties are Myatt's, Linnaeus,
Victoria, and the new variety known as St. Martin's
(figure 132), which has a distinct gooseberry flavor.
SALSIFY — SEA KALE. 349
SALSIFY OR OYSTER PLANT {Tragopogon porrifoUus).
The culture of this vegetable is the same in all respects
as for Carrots, whicli see. Like the Parsnip, it is hardy,
and can be left out during winter in any district without
injury fiom frost. It is rapidly becoming more popular.
It is stewed like Parsnips or Carrots, is used to make
soup, which has a decided flavor of the oyster, or is first
parboiled and then fried. There is but one kind.
SCORZONERA OR BLACK SALSIFY (Scorzonera Hispanica).
This is somewhat different in flavor from Salsify, and
is preferred to it by many. It has much broader leaves,
but is cultivated and used in the same manner.
SEA KALE {Oramhe maritima).
Sea Kale is a favorite vegetable in European gardens,
but here, as yet, almost unknown. Anticipating that at
no distant day it may be as generally cultivated as it de-
serves to be, I briefly describe the mode of culture. The
seeds of Sea Kale should be sown in the greenhouse, or
in a slight hot-bed in February or March, and when the
plants are an inch or two in bight, they should be potted
in two or three-inch pots, and placed in a cold frame to
harden, until sufficiently strong to be planted in the
open ground. They should then be set out in rows three
feet apart, with two feet between the plants, on land en-
riched as for any ordinary cabbage crop. If the plants
and the soil in which they have been planted are both
good, and cultivation has been properly attended to, by
keeping the plants avcH hoed during the summer, they
will have ^^crowns" strong enough to give a crop the next
season. In the northern states it will be necessary to
cover the rows with three or four inches of leaves, to pro-
tect the plants from frost. Sea Kale is only tit for use
350
GARDEI^IN^G FOR PLEASURE.
when '^ blanclied ;" and to effect this, on the approach
of spring the "crowns" should be covered with some
light material, such as sand or leaf mold, to the depth of
twelve or fifteen inches, so that the young shoots, being
thus excluded from the light, will become blanched in
growing through this covering.
Sometimes cans made for the
purjDose, or large flower pots, or
even wooden boxes, are inverted
over the plants, the object in
each case being to exclude the
light. If it is desired to force
Sea Kale, or forward it earlier,
the materials used to make hot-
beds, leaves or stable manure,
are heaped over the pots or cans
in a sufficient quantity to gener-
ate the proper heat to forward
or force on the growth of the
plants. The young shoots are cut from the plant before
the leaves are developed, and Avhen cooked, have a flavor
something betvreen Asparagus and Cauliflower, but by
most persons much preferred to either. The engraving
(figure 133) shows young shoots when ready for the table.
Fig. 133.— SEA KALE.
SHALLOTS {Allium Ascalonicum).
A plant of the Onion genus, which is cultivated by set-
ting out the divided bulbs in September in rows a foot
apart, allowing six inches between them. It is entirely
hardy, and fit for use in early spring.
SPINACH {Spinacia oleraced).
Spinach is a vegetable of easy culture. The seed may be
sown either in spring or fall. If in the fall, the proper time
is from the 10th to the 25th of September, in rows one foot
SPINACH. 351
apart. Sow rather thickly. Cover the plants with two
or three inches of hay or leaves on the approach of severe
frost in December. When sown in the fall, the crop, of
course, is ready for use much earlier than when sown
in the spring, as half the growth is made in the fall
months. By the time the seed can be sown in the
spring, the crop that has been wintered over will be com-
ing into use. To follow the crop thus wintered, seeds
should be sown in the same manner in the spring, as
early as the soil can be worked, and another sowing may
be made two weeks later. The variety known as Savoy-
leaved is best for winter, and Thick-leaved for spring.
About four ounces are enough for ordinary wants for
either season's sowing.
SPINACH, SUBSTITUTES FOR.
In the southern states, or even in our northern sum-
mers, Spinach runs rapidly to seed if sown in hot
weather, and several plants may be used as substitutes.
Among these are Swiss Chard, a species of Beet, some-
times called Spinach Beet, or Perpetual Spinach. Young
plants of the ordinary Beet are by some preferred to
Spinach. Ordinarily Beets need thinning, and the seed is
sometimes sown very thickly, in order that there may be
an abundance of thinnings to use as Spinach, or Beet
greens. They are used with the young Beet attached,
which should not be thicker than an ordinary lead pencil.
If larger, the leaves will be too strong. Another substi-
tute is
NEW ZEALAND SPINACH {Tetragonia ezpansa).
This is a remarkable plant, of low, branching habit, and
grows with surprising luxuriance during hot weather.
Single plants often spread from five to eight feet in
diameter. The leaves are used exactly as ordinary Spin-
ach. The seed should not be sown before warm weather
352 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
sets in in May, and the plants should be set out in hills
three or four feet apart each way.
SQUASH (Cucurbita Pepo and C. maxima).
The summer yarieties are, among others, the White
and Yellow Bush and Summer Crookneck. As with all
plants of this class, it is useless to sow the seeds before
warm weather in May, and the directions given for Cu-
cumbers and Melons are alike applicable to the Squash,
except the distances apart of the hills, which should be
from three to four feet for the bush sorts, and from six
to eight for the other varieties, which "run "or make
a lon^y vine. The fall or winter Squashes are planted at
the same time, but are allowed to mature or ripen, while
Fig. 134. — ESSEX HYBRID SQUASH.
the summer varieties are used green. They are usually
planted eight or nine feet apart, in hills prepared in the
usual way. These Squashes are great feeders, and for
the best results the soil should be well enriched, besides
the special manuring in the hills, as the vines throw out
roots at every joint to assist in feeding and maturing the
heavy crop they usually bear. The popular varieties are
the Essex Hybrid (figure 134), Hubbard (figure 135),
Marblehead, and Mammoth Chili. (For descriptions and
SWEET POTATO.
353
illustrations, see seed catalogues.) Most of the winter
varieties, if kept in a dry atmosphere at a tcmioerature
from forty to fifty degrees, will keep until May. A garret
Fig. 135.— IIUCBARD SQUASn.
room in a moderately well-heated dwelling house will
often be a very suitable place for storing them.
SWEET POTATO {Ijionma Batatas).
It is useless to attempt to grow the Sweet Potato on
anything but a light and dry soil. On clayey soils the
plant not only grows poorly, but the potatoes raised upon
such soil are watery and poorly flavored. The plants
are raised by laying the roots on their sides on a hot-bed
or the bench of a greenhouse, and covering them over with
sand, about the first week in May. By keeping up an
average temperature of seventy-five or eighty degrees,
fine plants will be produced by June ]st, at which time
they should be planted in this vicinity. Tlie plants arc
set in hills three feet apart each way, or on ridges four
feet apart, and twelve or fifteen inches between the
plants, drawing the earth up to them as they grow, until
354
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
the top of the ridge or hill is four or six inches above
the level. The soil under the ridges should be highly
manured, and as the vines grow they should be kept clear
bo
of weeds. When, late in the season, they show a disposi-
tion to root at the joints, they must be moved every week
or so. This is easilv done bv running a rake handle or
TOMATO.
355
other stick under the vines, and lifting them sufficiently
to draw out the small roots upon the stem. As is the
case with many other vegetables of which the plants or
sets are raised in large quantities for sale, it is better and
cheaper, when Sweet Potato plants are procurable, to
purchase them, than to attempt to raise the small
number required in a private garden. A hundred plants,
not costing more than a dollar, are all that most families
w^ould require. The Xansemond is the favorite variet}-.
TOMATO {Lycopersicum csculentum).
If any vegetable is grown in a family garden, it is
almost certain to be the Tomato. Hundreds of people
who have only a few feet of ground at their disposal,
manage to cultivate a dozen or two of Tomato plants.
Fig. 1.
ECTION
:OMATO.
though they may have nothing else. So well is it known,
that I think few of my readers will require to be told
much about its culture. The Tomato will grow any-
where, and under almost any circumstances, provided
356
gardexixCt for pleasure.
always that it has the necessary high temperature. It is
essentially a plant of the tropics, and need never be sown
in a hot-bed here before March, or planted in the open
ground before the middle of May. When grown in pri-
vate gardens, the Tomato should always be provided with
some sort of trellis (see description of Pea Vine Trellis in
chapter on "Implements," and also figure 136), or be
tacked up against a fence or wall. By this treatment,
not only will a heavier crop be obtained, but the flavor
will be better. When the fruit rests on the ground it
has often an inferior flavor,
particularly when eaten raw,
and is also more apt to decay.
A few dozen plants usually
suffice for an ordinary fam-
ily; and if there are no hot-
beds or other glass arrange-
J ments on hand, the plants
^ had better be purchased, as
^ they are sold cheaply every-
where. The favorite varieties
are the new Mikado, Acme,
Perfection (figure 137), Par-
agon, Trophy (all scarlet or
crimson), and the Yellow
Trophy, besides the Red and
Yellow Plum Tomatoes, used
for pickling and preserves.
TURNIP (Brassica campcstris).
The Turnip, if wanted for
an early crop, is sown in
Fig.i38.-wiiiTE EGG TURNIP. ^^^,^^ spHug, as dlrcctcd for
Beets. The best sorts are the varieties known as White
and Purple-top Strap-leaved, White Egg (figure 138),
and Early Milan (figure 139). If for winter or fall
SUCCESSIOXAL CROPS OF VEGETABLES. 357
use, sowing should be deferred until July or August.
The Ruta Baga or Swedes are sown in July, and the
Fig. 139.— EXTRA EARLY MILAN TrRNIP.
earlier winter sorts, such as Yellow Globe or Flat
Dutch, in August.
8UCCESSI0NAL CROPS OF VEGETABLES.
To get the full benefit of fresh vegetables during the
entire season, it is necessary to sow or plant successional
crops every two or three weeks, particularly with such
crops as Bush Beans, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Sweet Corn,
Cress, Cucumber, Lettuce, Peas, Radish, Spinach, and
Turnip. Even small areas of ground, if well manured,
may double or treble the crop if judiciously sown or
planted. For example, the ground first sown in Radishes,
Spinach, Turnip, or Lettuce, in April, will have ripened
these crops so that the ground can be cleared, dug up, and
manured, and again used by the first of June, when such
crops as Sweet Corn, Cucumbers, Peas, or Tomatoes can
be planted, and so on all through the list, and thus from
May to October the table can be daily supplied with fresh
vegetables for a moderate sized family, even from a quarter
of an acre of ground, if labor is given sufficient to sow
one crop after another has been exhausted.
358 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS.
In concluding the section of this hook devoted to veg-
etable growing, we will add a few goneral instructions
that may have been omitted in the details already giveu-
In sowing all kinds of seeds, more particularly those of
small size, be careful, if the soil is dry, to **firm" or
press down the surface of the bed or roWj after sowing,
with the feet, or a light roller, or the back of a spade,
more especially if tlie weather is beginning to get warm.
Crops are often lost through the failure of the seeds to
germinate, for the simple reason that the soil is left loose
about the tiny seeds, and the dry atmosphere penetrates
to them, shrivehng tliem up until all vitality is destroyed.
We sow nearly all vegetable crops in rows, and in every
casey as soon as the seed is sown, if is pressed down in the
drill with the foot, then covered 21 p level by the back of a
rake drawn lengthways with the drills, and again firmed
by tlie roller or back of a spade. Fur want of this simple
precaution, perhaps one-fourth of all seeds sown fail to
ger^ninate, and the seedsman is blamed, while the fault
is owing entirely to the ignorance or carelessness of the
planter. Again, for the same reason, when setting out
plants of any kind, be certain that the soil is pressed
close to the root. In our large plantings in market
gardening, partieukirly in summer, we make it a rule in
dry weather to turn back on the row after planting it
with the dibber or trowel, and press the earth firmly to
each plant with the foot. We iiave seen whole acres of
Celery, Cabbage, and Strawberry plants lost solely through
neglect of this precaution.
Never work the soil while it is so wet as to clog.
Better wait a week for it to dry than to stir it if wet.
In no work in which men are en2fa£:ed is the adage, ''A
stitch in time saves nine," more applicable than to the
work of the farm or garden. The instant that weeds
GAKDE]S^ IMPLEMENTS. 359
appear, attack them with the hoe or rake. Do not wait
for them to get a foot high, or a twelfth part of it, but
break every inch of the surface crust of the ground just
so soon as a germ of weed growth shows itself. And it
will be better to do it even before any weeds shoiu; for by
using a small, sharp steel rake, two or three days after
your crop is planted or sown, you will kill the weeds
just as they are germinating. The newly developed
germ of the strongest weed is at that time very tender.
In my market garden operations I had one man whose
almost exclusive duty it was to work in summer with the
steel rake ; and in a few days after a crop was planted
the surface was raked over, destroying the thousands of
weeds just ready to appear. Had we waited for the
weeds to be seen, so that they were too large to be de-
stroyed by the raking, four men could not have done with
the hoe the work accomplished by this man with the rake.
CHAPTER XLYII.
GARDEN IMPLEMENTS.
The tool shed is an important and necessary appendage
to a well-kept garden. The following list iocludes such
implements as are generally needed in jjrivate gardens:
The Wheelbakuovv (figure 140).— The wheelbarrow
Figr. 140.
is an important vehicle in the garden, for the moving of
soils, carrying manures, and for conveying the products
360
GAEDEi^ING FOR PLEASURE.
of the vegetable garden to the house or place of storage,
and numerous other purposes. It may be purchased of
different sizes and styles, or can be "home-made*' by
those possessing a little mechanical skill. Iron barrows
are becoming popular where known. They cost only
about one-third more than wooden ones, and they are
practically indestructible, quite light, and hang well.
The Spade (figure 141).— The uses of the spade in a
garden are too obvious and general to need description.
rig. 141. Fig. 142. Fig. 143. Fig. 144.
The best in use are the patent smooth back cast-steel, which
are light, strong, and durable, and work clean and bright.
The Shovel (figure 142).— The shovel is used for
loading, and for mixing and spreading composts and
GARDEN IMPLEMEi^TS.
3H1
sliort manures. They are made with long or short han-
dles and round or square points. Those with soUd backs
and straps on the handle, all in one piece, are the best
and strongest, and are much superior to those with
riveted backs.
The Digging Fork (figure 143), or Forked Spade, is
used instead of a spade to dig in manures, to loosen the
earth about the roots of trees, or for taking up root
crojDS, being less liable to cut or injure them than the
spade. It is much easier to handle than the spade, and
by its aid the soil can be more readily broken and pul-
verized. These sjDades are made with four and five tines,
the former being the one generally used. An improved
pattern has the tines pointed, so that it can be inserted
in hard or clayey ground with more ease.
The Maxuke Fork (figure 144). — This is used for
mixing, loading, and spreading manure, work which
could not be efficiently done without it. They are made
with either four or five tines, oval or diamond shaped.
The oval tined fork is the light-
est, and a careful man can handle
it with more speed; but it is more
easily broken than the diamond
tined. The latter should be given
to careless hands or used for
heavy work.
Rubber Hose (figure 145). —
The usual garden size is three-
quarter inch (inside diameter of
bore), though one inch hose is
sometimes used where a large
quantity of water is wanted with "^^^^^
little force. A great deal of ro-
guery is practised by hose man- ■ -^^si-.r -~^^^^>
ufacturers, who put in composi- ^v?- ^45.
tion material which easily rots, causing the hose to soon
362
GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
leak in places, though the hose, when new, can hardly be
detected from pure fuller, unless examined by an expert.
It is therefore advisable to buy only from those that you
can depend upon to give you pure, or nearly pure, rubber
hose. Although it costs a little more to begin with, it
will outlast the other four times over. A recent intro-
duction, known as ''Armored Hose," we have used for
over a year. It has wire twisted around the hose, thus
saving it from friction in dragging. It looks as if it
would be six times more durable than common hose.
The Hose Eeel (figure 145) will be found useful for
transporting the hose to various parts of the garden or
lawn. It also drains the hose in winding it up, making
it last longer.
Hand Cultivators (figure 146). — With these imple-
ments a great variety of garden work can be done, such
as hoeing, cultivating, weeding, making drills, earthing
Hoeing iieiween Rows.
Hoeiug Both Sides,
Fig. 146.
The "Planpt Jr." Double Wheel
Hoe, Cultivator, and Plow.
up, etc., and with greater speed and more ease than
with an ordinary hand hoe.
The CoMMOi^ or Draw Hoe (figure 147).— There are
several patterns of draw hoes, but the one in general use
GARUEJs" I^rPLEMENTS.
363
is the common square hoe, as represented in the figure.
Its uses in the garden are manifold, and it has frequently
to do duty for several other implements. Its principal
Fig. 147
uses are to clean the surface of the grounds from weeds,
to open drills for seeds, and to cover them.
The Prong Hoe (figure 148). — This is one of the
most useful of all garden tools, and is far superior to the
blade hoe for stirring and pulverizing the soil. It can-
not, it is true, be used where weeds have been allow^ed to
grow to any considerable hight ; but then we claim that
in all Avell-regulated gar-
dens weeds should never
be allowed to groAV so large
that they cannot be de-
stroyed by the prong hoe.
The Dutch or Push
Hoe (figure 149) is some-
times preferred to the
preceding for cutting the
weeds between the rows of
vegetables, a work which
can be done very quickly
by its aid. It is not so
generally useful as the draw hoe, but is better for the
special purposes of destroying weeds.
The Warrex Hoe (figure 150) is a new pattern of
real nierit. The blade is heart-shaped, and slightly
Fiff. 148.
Fijr. 149.
364
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
curved, similar to the mold-board of a plow. It conse-
quently always scours bright, and works nearly one-half
Fig. 150.
easier than the common draw hoe. For makino- drills
and covering seeds it cannot be equaled.
The Lawn Sprinkler (figure 151) is attached to
Fiff. 151.
Fiff. 152.
three-quarter inch hose, and sprinkles the lawn a dis-
tance of from twenty to forty feet in diameter, ac-
cording to the kind of sprinkler or the force of the
GARDEN IMPLEMENTS.
365
water. It is very valuable in dry weather, as it can
be allowed to sprinkle for an hour or more in one place,
and then be removed to another portion of the lawn.
It is also a pretty ornament as a fountain. The illus-
tration shows a small revolving sprinkler called the
'^ Perfection," which is simply stuck in the ground.
There are larger and more elaborate affairs with arms
and ball and basket attachments, which keep a silvered
ball continually dancing in the air.
The Reel and Line (figure 152) are necessary in
every well-regulated garden, enabling us to plant in
straight and accurate rows. The best lines are those of
braided linen, which will not stretch nor kink. Wind
upon the reel when not in use.
Pruning and Budding Knives (figure 153) are nec-
essary to every gardener. They are of different sizes
Fiir. 15:^.
and shapes, for the various purposes of grafting, bud-
ding, etc., and are made of the best steel.
Grape Scissors (figure 154). — These are slender-
pointed scissors, used for thinning out the berries of
foreign grapes when they are about a quarter grown, so
366
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
that those that are left may have room to develop. This
operation should never be neglected if large berries and
well-shaped bunches are desired.
Flower Gatherers (figure 155). — A very useful
article. The scissors cut off, and at the same time hold
fast the flower or fruit after it is cut, thus enabling one
Fiff. 154.
Fisr. 155.
to reach much farther to cut flowers or fruits than if
both hands had to be used. It is particularly useful
in gathering rose-buds, as the stem can be cut off with
but little danger from the thorns.
The Garden Trowel (figure 156) is used for setting
the smaller kinds of plants when transferred from pots
Fisr. 156.
to the open ground, for transplanting annuals, and for
many other uses. It is a very necessary little implement.
Lawn Scythe (figure 157). — The lawn scythe is now
but little used, the lawn mower taking its place, unless
Fig:. 157.
on hill-sides or among trees or shrubs, where the lawn
mower cannot be worked.
Lawn Mowers (figure 158). — The great improve-
ments in Lawn Mowers during the past few years, and
the low price at which they may now be obtained, have
GAUDEN IMPLEMENTS.
367
made their use common in every garden. They are of
many sizes, from the small machine that can be easily
worked by a boy, and admirably adapted for city garden
plots, to the large horse mowers, that may be daily seen
in use in our larger parks. In buying a lawn mower,
always be sure that it is light running; that it will cut
high grass; that all wear can be taken up, and that it is
simple. "Side-wheel mowers'* are always to be pre-
Fig. 158.
ferred on ordinary lawns, as they run much easier than
a "roller mower." The latter has one advantage only,
and that is in cutting on a narrow border where a side-
wheel mower would run off on the side. But the benefit
derived by a lawn from the rolling received by a "roller
mower" is in theory only, as the roller is not heavy
enough to be of any actual benefit, while it is heavy enough
to make the machine run hard. If you wish to roll your
lawn, get a roller that will weigh not less than three hun-
338 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
dred pounds. Grass Boxes can now be furnished on the
new Henderson Lawn Mowers for collecting the cut grass.
This is very desirable in some cases, particularly in tennis
courts, croquet grounds, etc. ; but I do not advise this in
other cases, especially if the lawn is fully exposed to the
hot sun. The cut grass in this case acts as a mulch, and
prevents the sun from drying the roots out.
The Garden Roller (figure 159). — The benefit de-
rived from using a roller on the lawn, especially in the
spring, is not fully understood. The action of freezing
Fig. 159.
and thawing causes the ground to heave, and if it is not
firmly pressed back with a roller before hot weather the
grass is apt to be killed or injured, leaving the lawn full
of bare spots. For use on the lawn always take a " tivo
or three secfiofi,^^ as they can be turned without injuring
the grass. '' 07ie section''' will be preferable for walks,
as they leave no mark. Rollers having weights attached
to the central shaft, that can be unhooked and removed
when lighter weight is desirable, are the best. These
weights always keep the handle up from the ground, and
out of the way.
GARDEN IMPLEMENTS.
369
The Lawn Rake is used for raking off lawns pre-
vious to and after using the scythe or lawn mower,
and for removing dead leaves and other rubbish. An
improvement over the old 22-teeth wooden rake is
the Steel Wire Rake (tigure 160). The teeth are so
made that they will not catch in the roots. It rides
over the grass in place of having to be held up, mak-
ing the work easier.
The Garden Rake (figure 161) is used to level the
surface of the ground after it lias been spaded or hoed,
and to prepare it for the reception of seeds or Dlants.
Rakes are made of different sizes, for convenience in
using between rows of plants, with from six to sixteen
teeth. When a crop like cabbages is newly planted, we
Fig. 161.
use the rake in preference to anything else, as raking
over the surface before the weeds start to grow, destroys
the germ of the weed, never allowing it to appear at all.
One of the best garden rakes made is the '*bow rake"
(figure 162), which will not break, like an ordinary
garden rake, where the handle is fastened in the center
of the head.
370
GAEDElsIi^^G FOK PLEASUKE.
The Grass EDGii?"G Kxife (figure 163) is used for
cutting the grass edgings of flower beds, its rounded
Fig. 163. Fig. 163.
edge fitting into curved lines, for which the spade would
be unsuitable.
The Grass Hook (figure 164). — This is a most
useful implement for switching around
and trimming off grass under hedges,
bushes, fences, etc.
Grass Edgij^g or Border Shears
(figure 165). — JNo lawn looks finished
unless the overhanging grass around the
edges of the borders has been trimmed.
Fig. 164. The shears here shown are the best for
the purpose that we know of. They can be procured
with a wheel at the heel of the blade, so that the
Fig. 165.
shears can be rolled along on the ground ; but old
gardeners generally prefer them without.
Hedge Shears (figure 166) are better fitted for clip-
ping hedges than the Bill Hook sometimes used for the
purpose, particularly in inexperienced hands. A line
GARDEN IMPLEMENTS.
should be set at the bight to which the hedge is to be
cut, as a guide to work by. The notch near the heel of
the blade of all improved shears is to catch strong
branches, which would otherwise slide oirt when an
eUort was made to cut them.
Hand-Pruning Shears (figures 167 and 1 G8).— These
are very efficient and useful, and will cut off
a small branch as clean as a knife. They are
indispensable in pruning small trees and vines,
and for use in grapery and garden.
Fi.^-. 166. Fi^. 167. Fig. 168.
Lopping or Branch Pruning Shears (figure 169).
— These are powerful shears for cutting large branches.
They have wooden handles from two to three feet long,
which enable the operator to reach up a considerable
Fi-. 169.
distance. For thinning out and trimming up old shrubs,
such as Lilac bushes, they cannot be equaled. Figure
170 shows another style, called the Slide Cut Lopping
Shears. These are so made that the cutting blade is
drawn through the branch like a knife, which prevents
bruising and crushing.
372
GAKDE]S"ING FOR PLEASURE.
Pole Tree Pruxer (figures 171 and 172).— With
this implement branches of three-quarters of an inch
and less in diameter can be trimmed from almost any
Fig. 1?2.
Fig. 170
part of a tree without the trouble and risk
of climbing or standing on a ladder. The
newer patterns can be attached to poles
of any length, and operated by a rope.
A spring throws the knife back after the
branch has been cut.
Thistle and Weed Cutter (figure 173).
— With this tool all sorts of weeds can be
cut out of the lawn without breaking the
surface of the sod. The projection on the
side is to press the foot on for large roots, Fig. 173.
and places where the scythe or lawn mower cannot be
used, or where the place to be cut is small.
Mole Traps (figure 174). — Where moles are prevalent
in lawns, flower beds, and bulb beds, they can be effectu-
i
i
GARDEN IMPLEMENTS.
373
ally got rid of by using a first-class trap. The one we
here illustrate is, avt believe, the best we have ever used.
It is called '' Hale's Perfect Mole Trap." To be success-
ful, however, a person should know luliere to set a trap,
as any **run" will not always do. Moles go through
some '^ runs" regularly, and through others only once.
To find a ** regular run," press the ridge down with your
foot in various portions of the grounds.
An examination next morning will show
some depressions that have been raised,
and will show where the regular runs are.
'mr-'
'J J
Fig. 174. Fig- 1^5.
The {pruning Saw (figure 175) is used for cutting off
branches that are too large for the knife, for removing
dead ones, etc. It can be had of various sizes, from six-
teen to twenty inches in length, and can be attached to
a pole, so that the higher limbs can be reached.
374
GARDEKING FOR PLEASURE.
Garden- Syringe (figures 176 and 177). — The syringe
is indispensable, and is in daily use in the greenhouse,
conservatory, and garden. Syringing is necessary to keep
ijongth of Barrel, 19 in, j diameter, IJ^.
Fig. 176.
the plants in a flourishing and healthy condition, and pre-
A'ent the attacks of red spider, and with it fluid insecti-
cides can be applied. They are made of several sizes and
Leugth of Barrel, 18 in.; diameter, 1%.
Fig. 177.
patterns, and fitted with roses for dispersing water with
varying force and fine or coarse sprays.
The Water Barrel and Truck (figure 178). — A
very useful combination for carrying water and other
fluids. The barrel can be instantly detached, so that the
truck can be used for conveying other barrels for various
purposes. The barrel is exactly balanced over the axle,
Fig. 178.
and therefore no lifting or down pressure on the handles
is needed in transportation. It is sometimes rigged up
with a sprinkling attachment for sprinkling lawns, and
a portable hand pump can be attached to throw water
and insecticides over shrubs, plants, etc. The tires are
GARDEN" IMPLEMENTS.
375
two and a half inches broad, to prevent cutting into
soft ground. A box can also be attached after the
barrel has been removed, making a very convenient
hand -cart.
The G-arden Engine (figure 179) is an important
adjunct to the garden. It is especially valuable for pre-
venting the ravages of insects on trees where they can
not be reached with an implement less powerful. The
rapid increase of insects, worms, etc., in some portions
of the country, whereby fruit is destroyed and trees
injured, renders it necessary to wage continual war
iig. 179.
against them, and it can be successfully done by spray-
ing with solutions of Paris green, London purple, kero-
sene, and other mixtures, without injury to the fruit.
The Garden Engine holds forty gallons of water, and
will throw a stream sixty feet high or a spray forty feet
high. It can be procured with a suction attachment,
whereby it can fill its own box from a pond or cistern.
376
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
Watering-Pots. — A watering-pot is indispensable in
the greenhouse or conservatory, where it is daily needed.
It is made of yarions sizes, from one to five gallons (the
two-gallon size is convenient), wdth a rose for sprinkling,
which may be detached at will. The new French pattern
(figure 180) is much superior to the old style for ease of
handling, especially for greenhouse work, as its flat shape
allows it to be carried readily between the benches ; but
its great merit is the handle, whereby it can be held in
any position without straining the wrist.
The Portable Hand Force Pump (figure 181) is a
very compact and useful implement for greenhouse and
Fig. 180.
Fig. 181.
garden work. It is easily operated, and throws a con-
tinuous stream forty or fifty feet. It is very effective
for watering shrubbery, gardens, or lawns, and especially
valuable for applying fluid insecticides, such as Paris
green water, to trees and bushes that are being ravaged
by insects.
Powder Bellows (figure 182).— For applying insect
GARDEN niPLEMENTS.
377
powders, such as hellebore, Persian insect powder, to-
bacco dust, etc., to bushes and plants infested with
insects, or sulphur to rose bushes and grape vines to
Fi£?. 182.
prevent and cnre mildew. The powders can be bettor
applied with this than by any other metliod, as the force
given it causes it to reach all crevices where insects hide.
A Fluid Bellows or Vaporizer (figure 183) is sim-
J
Fig. 183. Fig. 184.
ilar in construction to the above, the receptacle holding
fluids in place of powder, which is distributed in a fine
mist over a large surface. It is valuable for applying
378
GARDEI^ING FOR PLEASURE.
such solutions as kerosene, fir tree oil, etc., to plants,
etc., rendering their use perfectly safe. We also find it
useful for spraying the foliage of plants before we dust
powders on them.
Plai^-t Sprinkler (figure 184). — Tliis is a very useful
rubber ball, holding from half a pint to a pint of water,
according to the size. By pressing the ball with the
hand a very fine spray is forced out, suitable for watering
cut flowers, bouquets, seedlings, etc.
FuMiGATORS. — Figure 185 shows one of the most com-
plete implements that I know of for smoking green-
houses, conservatories, etc., without danger of fire, and
without leaving a lot of litter behind, as is the case
in the old way. This fumigator is arranged so that
a handful of shavings or paper can be put on the
grate, and on these the dampened tobacco stems. A
Fig. 185. Fig- 1S6.
sliding door in front regulates the draught, and a
pan underneath catches the ashes and dirt. They
come in various sizes.
Ladies' and Children's Garden Tools (figure
186).— In all flower gardens there is a great deal of
hand-work to be done. This lot of small implements,
consisting of a trowel, fork, rake, and hoe, will be found
very useful in working on small flower borders. There
are various sizes of these tools. Those with handles
about three to four feet long are really very practical.
GARDEN IMPLEMEXTS.
379
Hand Weeders. — Indispensable little tools for garden
work, such as weeding, loosening the soil around plants,
etc. They save the fingers and work with great rapidity.
There are now several styles, all of which are good. We
give illustrations of the best. Figure 187, Hazeltine's ;
Fig. 187.
Fig. 188. Fig. 189.
Fig. 190. Fig. 191.
figure 188, Onion; figure 189, Noyes's; figure 190, Ex-
celsior; figure 191, Allan's.
Hakd Glasses (figure 192). — These have been men-
tioned under Cauliflower, Cucumber, etc. Tliey are
invaluable for starting and forcing young plants, protect-
ing them from insects and frosts, and save much annoy-
ance and care. Home-made hand glasses, being simply
a small frame covered with a pane of glass, are very use-
ful; but as they exclude some li^ht they are not equal
to that shown in the illustration, wliich is a simple
galvanized iron frame hinged at the top, so that it
can be folded together, and a number packed away
safely and in a small compass. The ends are of cloth,
which admits sufiBcient air to keep the plants healthy
and prevent burning. The glass is slipped in from
3S0
GAEDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
the top. so that if one is broken it can be quickly
ani cheaply repaired.
Trellises, or supports f-r plants, are needed in the
flower a::d ve^retuble 2-arden r.o: only for climbers, but
ior keeping p.anrs v,-:,icn have weak stems within proper
lis. 192.
Fi-. i;
bounds. Trellises for pots may be purchased ready made,
as may those for climbing Rose- and such plants. They
are nsnally made of rattan npun a frame of light wooden
stakes, and some are made entirely of wire. A person
of a mechanical tnm can readilv make all that will be
needed. A few engravings are given here as suggestions.
Figure 1&3 shows a useful support made with a barrel
hoop ar- : ^v-.ves. The same plan may be carried out with
Ga£DE>» Li£PT.F.¥£yiS.
SSI
two or more hoops, and laths, if staTCS are too Iieavy.
This win answer for Tomatoes, Baepbenies, and Tarioos
other plants. A more permanent tomato trdlts is shown
in figure 19-1:, in which slats are snpported bv \ ^ixped
uprights. If pnt together with screws, snch a trellis
may be carefully pat away in the fall and made to last
several years. A rustic trellis, like that in figure 195,
is often useful in the flower garden, or it may serve,
when covered with climbers, to divide the flower from
the vegetable garden. It is made of sticks of cedar or
other durable wood, set as shown in the engraving, and
tied, where the bars across one another, with strong
tarred twine. With these examples as suggestions, one
will find no difficulty in making more elaborate supports
and with other materials.
The White's Trellis (figure 196), before referred to
in other parts of this work, I consider to be one of the most
valuable of garden requisites. It is of simple construc-
tion, so that it can be sold very cheaply, the price being
from six to fifteen cents per running foot, according to
size. Its original design was, that it should be used as
a substitute for the ordinary pea brush or pea stakes; and
382
qardeki:ng for pleasure.
though for such purposes it will be mainly employed, yet
it should be used for all plants requiring support, such as
Lima Beans, Tomatoes, etc., and when space is limited,
Cucumbers and Melons could be trained to fruit on it
with little trouble; besides, there are scores of climbing
flowering plants, both perennial and annual, which can
be trained with the best results on the Pea vine trellis.
We used this new trellis extensively in our trial grounds
last season, and found it an admirable substitute for
brush or strings in staking Peas, Toruatoes, etc. Its
construction is such that the cultivator is
enabled to pass freely between the rows.
Fig. 196.
Fiff. 197.
thus simplifying the work of cleaning and picking;
and, besides, it is at all times a neat and ornamental
feature in the garden. These trellises are strongly made
of galvanized wire, with staunch wooden uprights, neatly
painted, and, with care, will last for a dozen years.
They are so made that, after they are through with in
the garden, they can be rolled up into a small compass
and put away.
GARDEN IMPLEMENTS.
383
Thermometers (figure 197). — There are many kinds
of these that are useful, but none that can equal the one
illustrated, which is known under the peculiar name of
** sixes," or, jn'operly, **' self- registering." It will regis-
ter both heat and cold, and is set by using a magnet to
draw the steel needles down to the mercury. With this
thermometer one can tell the coldest and hottest degree
reached in the greenhouse during the night.
Step Ladders (figure 198). — The step ladder is
always useful in a garden and orchard, especially during
Fiff. 198.
the fruiting season. It is made in different sizes, vary-
ing from four to twelve feet high. The illustration
shows an improved pattern with extension top for hold-
ing a basket for fruit.
384
GARDEJfING FOR PLEASURE.
Tree Scrapers (figure 190).— A handy little tool for
scraping rough or diseased bark from trees, thereby pre-
venting insects from hiding and breeding, and making
Fiff. 199.
Fig. 200.
applications of whale oil soap or other solutions very
effective.
Bill Hook (figure 200), useful for trimming hedges,
cutting brush, etc.
Aphis Brush (figure 201).— xi splendid little brush
for cleaning the leaves of plants infested with green fly
and other insects.
Gardej^er's Gloves (figure 202) of heavy tanned goat
Fi^. 201.
FijT. 202.
or sheep skin. They enable one to work among thorny
bushes without danger of having the hands scratched.
Asparagus Knife (figure 203). — For cutting Aspar-
agus below the surface of the soil. The saw-tooth edge
Fig. 203.
is to use where there is danger of injuring the knife edge
|by cutting against stones.
MONTHLY CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 385
MONTHLY CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS.
Although I have endeavored throughout the foregoing pages
to be particular in stating the season or date at which each gar-
dening operation should be done, still it may save time to the
novice, and be otherwise of advantage, to briefly suggest what
work should be done each month.
JANUARY.
Greenhouse and Flower Garden.— But little need now be
done in either. In the greenhouse care must be exercised with
the fires to protect against frost, as this is usually the coldest
month of the year ; it is also that in which there is the least
sunshine. But little ventilating need be done; but when it does
become necessary to do it, caution must be used. Be careful to
raise the ventilating sash only so high that the heated air from
the greenhouse will be able to drive back the outer air to such
an extent as not to chill the plants. For example, occasionally,
after a very cold night, where severe firing has been necessary
to keep up the required temperature, say to sixty degrees, it
happens that the sun comes out bright during the following
day, so that by noon, or before, the temperature may be at a
hundred degrees inside the greenhouse, though outside it may
be nearly at zero. In such case the raising of the sashes an
inch or two will rapidly lower the temperature of the green-
house, so that an hour or so of such ventilating would be all
that is required. If the greenhouse is heated by flue, or even by
hot water or steam, examine nightly, that no combustible
material is laid on tiie flue or thrown against the chimney of
the boiler. As little fresh air can be given, insects are to be
watched this month closely. By the use of fire heat a dry at-
mosphere will be created, in which the red spider luxuriates.
Nothing answers so well for its destruction as copiously syring-
ing the plants at night, and splashing the paths with water, as
it cannot exist to an injurious extent in a moist atmosphere.
The Aphis, or "green fly," must also be destroyed, or it will
soon cause great injury to the plants. Tobacco in almost any
form is death to it, and may be either used by burning the
386 GARDEKIXG FOR PLEASURE.
stems or dusted on as snuff, or syringed on in liquid form. For
full directions see body of the work.
Hyacinths and other bulbs that have been kept in the cellar
or other dark, cool place, may now be brought into the light of
the greenhouse, provided they have filled the pots with roots.
If not well rooted, let them remain until they are so, or
select such of them as are best, and leave the others until
ready. In the outside flower garden little can be done, except
that shrubs may be pruned, or new work pushed on, such as
making walks or grading, if weather permits.
Fruit Garden. — Pruning, staking up, or mulching can be
done if the weather is such that the workman can stand out.
No plant is injured by being pruned in cold weather, though
the pruner may be.
Vegetable Garden. — Nothing can be clone this month in the
northern states except to prepare manure, and get sashes, tools,
etc., in working order; but in sections of the country where
there is but little or no frost, the hardier kinds of seeds and
plants may be sown and planted, such as Asparagus, Cabbage,
Cauliflower, Carrot, Leek, Lettuce, Oaion, Parsnip, Peas,
Spinach, Turnip, etc. In any section where these seeds can be
sown in the open ground, it is an indication that hot-beds may
be begun for the sowing of such tender vegetables as Tomatoes,
Egg and Pepper Plants, etc., though, unless in the extreme
southern states, hot-beds had better not be started before the
first of February.
FEBRUARY.
Greenhouse and Flower Garden. — The directions for Jan-
uary will in the main apply to this month, except that now
some of the hardier annuals maybe sown, and also the propaga-
tion of plants by cuttings may be done rather better now than
in January. For instructions in such matters, see chapter on
" Propagation."
Fruit Garden. — But little can be done in most of the northern
states as yet, and in sections where there is no frost in the
gi-ound, it is likely to be too wet to work ; but in many southern
states this will be the best month for planting fruit trees and
plants of all kinds, particiilarly Strawberries, Raspberries,
Blackberries, Pear, and Apple, while Grape-vines will do quite a
month later. One of the greatest wants, in many parts of the
MONTHLY CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 387
south, is reliable nurseries, where such things can be procured ;
and as all such plants are at this season frozen solid in nurseries
at the nortli, orders for such things cannot usually be shipped
before April. Still, though something may be lost by this cir-
cumstance, if proper attention is given to planting, watering,
and shading (when practicable), good results may be obtained by
planting trees from the north, as it is always better to take
plants of any kind from a cold climate to a hot one, than from
a hot to a cold.
Vegetable Garden. — Horse manure, leaves from the woods,
or refuse hop;? from the breweries, when they can be obtained,
ma}' be got together towards the latter part of the month, and
mixed and turned to get "sweetened" preparatory to forming
hot-beds. For detailed instructions see article on " Hot-beds."
Manure that is to be used for the crops should be turned and
broken up as fine as possible ; for it sliould be known that the
more completely manure of any kind can be mixed with the
soil, the better will be the crop, and, of course, if it is dug or
plowed in in large, unbroken lumps, it cannot be properly com-
mingled. Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Lettuce seeds for early-
crops should be sown in hot-bed or greenhouse this month.
MARCH.
Greenhouse and Flower Garden.— Brighter sunshine and
longer days will now begin to show their effects by a rapid
growth of plants in the gi'eenliouse, and also in those of the
parlor or window garden. Examine all plants that are grow-
ing vigorously and are healthy, and if the roots have struck to
the sides of the pot and matted the "baU" of earth, then they
must be shifted into larger sized pots. If this is long neglected
the plants are certain to suffer in consequence. For details of
operations see chapter on "Potting." The plants propagated
last month may now need shifting also, and propagation should
continue of all plants that are likely to be wonted. If propaga-
tion is put off much later, most plants would not be large enough
if needed for bedding purposes in the flower garden in summer.
The hardier kinds of annuals may now be sown. It is best
done in boxes, as recommended in chapter on "Propagation by
Seeds." Lawns may now be raked off and top-dressed (if it
was not done in the fall) with short manure or rich garden
388 GARDENII^rG FOR PLEASURE.
earth mixed with one-tenth part of bone dust or similar fertil-
izer, where manure is not obtainable, and on light soils flower
beds may be dug up so as to forward the work preparatory to
the coming of the busy season.
Fruit Garden.— In light, diy soils planting may be safely
done in many sections, but we again caution the inexperienced
not to get impatient and begin to plant before tlie ground is
dry. It is bad to do so even in hght, sandy soils, but in stiff
and clayey ones it will be utter destruction. Again at this
season, kltbough a tree or plant will receive no injury when its
roots are in the soil, should a frost come after planting, yet the
same amount of freezing would greatly injure the plant if the
roots were uncovered and exposed. Thousands of trees and
plants fail every year from this cause. Thoy are exposed for
sale in our markets with no protection to the roots, and even
the experienced purchaser rarely has sufficient knowledge to be
certain whether the roots of a tree have been injured by bemg
frozen or dried up b> the cold winds of March. It is always
best, when it can be done, to purchase direct from the nearest
reliable nurserymen. They well know the importance of hav-
ing the roots properly protected, while in two cases out of three
the market huckster neither knows nor cares.
Vegetable Garden.— This is a busy month. Hot-beds must
now be all started, and all the seeds of the hardier vegetables
may be sown in the open ground in locations where the frost is
out and the ground dry. The list given for the southern states
in January may now be used at the north, while for most of
the southern states the tender kinds of vegetables may now be
sown and planted, such as Egg-Plant, Okra, Melon, Sweet Po-
tatoes, Squash, Tomatoes, Potatoes, etc. For early crops north,
all these tender vegetables shoUd now be sown in the hot-bed
or the greenhouse.
APRIL.
Greenhouse and Flower Garden.— Plants, whether grown
in the greenhouse or in windows, will require increased ventila-
tion and water this month ; and as they will now be growing
rapidly, due attention must be paid to shifting into larger pots
when necessary, and also increase the space, if possible, by put-
ting the hardier sorts out in frames. If plants are crowded at
this season in the greenhouse, they will grow spindling and
MONTHLY CALENDAR OF OPERATIOMS. 389
weak. It is better to throw away the common or coarser
plants if there is not room for the finer sorts to develop
properly. Towards the end of the month it may be necessary
to partly shade the glass of the greenhouse. This may be done
either by sheeting hung on rollers from the top, or, more
simply and cheaply, by making a very thin whitewash of lime.
This may be spattered over the glass very lightly at first, just
to mark the glass with white spots as thick as if a slight shower
should leave the marks of its drops. The wash is to be spattered
on thicker every week or two, as the season advances. The
planting of all kinds of hardy herbaceous plants and shrubs
may now be done in the flower garden. Bulbs and all tender
plants that have been covered for protection in winter may now
be stripped, and the beds slightly forked and raked. Sow
tender annual flower seeds in boxes in the greenhouse, hot-
bed, or sitting-room, and the hardier kinds in the open border.
Fruit Garden. — Strawberries that have been covered up by
straw or leaves, should now be relieved around the plant, only
leaving the covering between the plants. See chapter on
•' Strawberries." Raspberries, Grape-vines, etc., that have been
laid down may now be uncovered and tied up to stakes or
trellises, and all new plantations of these and other fruits
should now be made.
Vegetable Garden. — The covering of Asparagus, Rhubarb,
Spinach, etc., should now be removed, and the beds hoed or dug
lightly. The hardier sorts of vegetable seeds and plants, such
as Beets, Cabbage, Cauliflower. Celery, Lettuce, Onions, Pars-
ley, Parsnip, Peas, Potatoes, Radishes, Spinach, Turnip, etc.,
should all be sown or planted by the middle of the month, if
the soil is dry and warm, and in all cases where practicable be-
fore the end of the month; for if these varieties of vegetables
are delayed until the hot weather in May, they will not be so
early, and in most cases will not produce so fine a crop. It
is quite a common practice with many amateurs to delay
garden operations of all kinds until May, but all the hardier
sorts of vegetables arc likely to be later and inferior in conse-
quence. Any one expecting to get fine eavJij Cabbage, Cauli-
flower, Lettuce, or Radishes, if planting or sowing is delayed
until the time of planting Tomato and Egg-Plants m May, is
certain to be disappointed.
390 GAllDEXII^G FOR PLEASURE.
MAT.
Greenhouse and Flower Garden.— The majority of plants
in the greenhouse or window garden should now be in their
finest bloom. Firing may now be entirely dispensed with in
the greenhouse, though care must yet be exercised in ventilating
in the first part of the month, as we still have cold winds in this
section. By the end of the month all of the plants that are
wanted for the summer decoration of the flower borders may be
planted out. In doing so, when the ball of earth has been com-
pletely matted with roots, it will be better to bruise it slightly
between the hands, so that, after being planted, the water will
pass freely through the "ball," as it often happens that it
is so hard and dry as to prevent the water from penetrat-
ing it, and the growth is impeded in consequence. Water
once copiously after planting if the weather is dry. When
the greenhouse is not to be used during the summer months,
Camellias, Azaleas, and plants of that character should be
set out-doors under some shade ; but most of the other
plants usually kept in the greenhouse or window garden
in winter, may be set in the open border, where the pots
should be plunged to the rim in ashes or sand, kecpmg them
slightly apart from each other, to prevent crowding. Where
there are indications that the pot has become filled with roots,
the plant should be shifted into a size larger, just as it is
done inside the greenhouse. As the plants make growth, they,
with few exceptions, should be pinched back to cause a stout
and branching form. Lawns should now be mown and edgings
trimmed nicely, and all flower beds hoed and raked ; for if
weeds are not kept down as they first appear, treble the labor
will be required to eradicate them next month. Annuals that
have been sown in the greenhouse or hot-bed may now be
planted out, and seeds of such sorts as Mignonette, Sweet
Alyssum, Phlox Drummoudii, Portulaca, etc., may be sown in
the borders. Cuttings or young plants of Chrysanthemums, if
started now, will give fine plants for fall flowering.
Fruit Garden. — Where it has not been convenient before,
most of the smaller fruits may yet be planted the first part of
the month. Ply the hoe or cultivator vigorously to keep down
weeds. If any of the numerous varieties of caterpihars, slugs,
or worms make their appearance on the young shoots of vines or
trees, a free application of tobacco dust mixed with Pyrethrum
MOXTHLY CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. . 391
or Persian insect powder will dislodge most of them. It is best
to use it as a preventive; for if they once get a foothold, the
crop may be ruined.
Vegetable Garden. — Thin out all crops sown last month,
that are now large enough, and hoe deeply all planted crops,
such as Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, etc. Plant out all tender
vegetables, viz. : Tomatoes, Egg and Pepper Plants, Sweet
Potatoes, etc. Plant seeds of Lima Beans, Corn, Melons, Okra,
Cucumbers, etc., and successional crops of Peas, Spinach, Let-
tuce, Beans, etc,
JUNE.
Greenhouse and Flower Garden. — ^The greenhouse may
now be used for hot-house or tropical plants, if such are desired
during the summer months. It sliould be well shaded, and fine
specimens of fancy Caladiums, Dracaenas, Palms, Ferns, and such
plants as are grown for the beauty of their foliage, will make
it very attractive. Hyacinths, Tulips, and other spring bulbs
may now be dug up, dried, and placed away for next fall's
planting, and their places fJled with such plants as Geraniums,
Coleus, Achyranthes, and the various "white-leaved plants"
that are suited for late bedding. Lawns will now require to be
mowed weekly in all well-kept places. It is as much an indi-
cation of slovenliness to see a door-yard that has any preten-
sions to be called a lawn wiih the grass uncut, as it would
be to sea a dust-begrimed carpet in the parlor.
Fruit Garden.— If Strawberries have not been mulched
with hay or straw in winter, the cut grass from the lawn is
a convenient thing to place between the rows to keep the
fruit from getting sanded by dashing rains. Nearly all the
small fruits, such as Gooseberries, Raspb'rries, etc., are much
improved by having a mulching of some sort placed around
the roots, which should be done this month. For such fmits
as require to be thinned, see instructions for next month.
Vegetable Garden.— This is usually the busiest month in
the garden. Crops mature and have to be gathered, and while
doing so weeds are apt to steal a march on you, and may de-
stroy entirely some of your hard work of former months, unless
you attack them in their embryo stage, that is, just when
breaking through the soil. A man will hoe and rake over six
times the surface of soil when the weeds are in this stage that
392 GARDE]!TIls"G FOR PLEASURE.
he would if the weeds were six inches high, and in this matter,
more than anything else I know of in gardening, does a ' ' stitch
in time save nine." Beans, Peas, Beets, Corn, Cucumbers, Let-
tuce, etc., may still be sown for successional crops, and late
plantings of Irish Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes will yet do well
in suitable soils. Tomatoes should be tied up to trellises or
stakes, if fine-flavored and handsome fruit is desired.
JULY.
Greenhouse and Flower Garden.— But little need be said
of the greenhouse this month. Watering, ventilating, and fu-
migating (or the use of tobacco in other forms for destruction of
Aphis), must be attended to. Keep tho atmosphere of the green-
house moist. The plants from the greenhouse that may have
been plunged out-doors, must be watched when they require
repottmg ; and where the roots have run through the pots, tliey
should also be occasionally turned round, to break them off; for if
this is not done now, it would seriously injure the plant in the
fall when the roots have run through the pot and deep into the
soil, as they often do. Plants such as Dahlias, Roses, Gladio-
luses, as well as many herbaceous perennial and annual plants,
will now require staking. Be careful to proportion the size
of the stake to that of the plant, and do not tie it too tightly.
Stakes painted green look best, and the square are nearly as
good as the round ones, and much cheaper. Carnations and
other plants that are throwing up flower stem?, if wanted to
flower in winter, should be cut back. Top Chrysanthemums to
make them bushy.
Fruit Garden. — If there are any signs of mildew on the
grape-vine leaves, dust them over with dry sulphur, choosing a
still, warm day. The fruit will now be gathered from the
Strawberries ; and if new beds are to be formed, the system
recommended of layering the plants in small pots is the best.
See "Strawberries." Where Apples, Pears, Peaches, etc., have
set fruit thickly, thin out one-half or two-thirds of the young
fruit, as by doing so you will get at least an equal weight and
much finer fruit. The same is true of grape-vines and ail
other fruits that have set thickly. Where thinning out is prac-
ticable, it will always be beneficial to practise it.
Vegetable Garden.— Plants of Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Cel-
MONTHLY CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 393
ery, and all similar varieties of vegetables wanted for fall or
winter use, are best planted this month, though in some sec-
tions they will do if left until next. See directions given under
these separate heaJs. Sweet Corn, Beans, Cucumbers, and
Lettuce may yet be sown for late crops, and in some sections
Ruta-baga Turnips for the main winter crop. Tomatoes should
be kept tied up to stakes or trellises, and Sweet Potatoes must
be hoed or moved to prevent the vines from rooting at the joints,
AUGUST.
Greenhouse and Flower Garden. — The instructions for
July apply with but little variation in these departments this
month.
Fruit Garden. — Strawberries that were planted in spring,
and also those that have fiTiited, will now be making "run-
ners '' or young plants freely. All runners should be kept cut
off close to the old plant, so that the full force of the roots is
expended in maturing the " crowus'' or fruit buds for the next
season's crop. New plantations of Strawberry plants should
now be made from pot layers, though they will do as late as the
end of September ; but the sooner they are planted after they
are rooted in the pots, the heavier will be the crop. If plants are
wanted for fresh plantations, about the required number can be
allowed to run, but should be layered in pots, as recommended
under "Strawberries." Cut away the old stems of Raspberries
and Blackberries that have borne their fruit, and thin out the
young shoots to three or four canes to each hill or plant. If
tied to stakes and topped when four or five feet high, they will
make stronger canes for fruiting next year.
Vegetable Garden. — Planted crops, such as Cabbage, Cauli-
flower, and Celery, should be hood deeply. AVe do not recrm-
mend the earthing up of Celery this month. Onions will in
many sections now be ready for harvesting. This condition
will bo known by the tops becoming yellow and falling down.
They are best dried by placing them in some dry shed in thin
layers. For Sweet Potatoes, see directions of last month.
Spinach may be sown for early fall use, but it is yet too early
to sow for the winter crop. Red-top, White Globe, and Yellow
Aberdeen Turnips should now be sown. Ruta-baga Turnips
sown last month will need thinning.
394 gaedeni:n^g for pleasure.
september.
Greenhouse and Flower Garden. — Towards the end of the
month, in many sections, the more tender plants will require to
be put in the greenhouse, or housed in some way ; but be care-
ful to keep them as cool as possible during the day. They
would be better outside yet if it were safe to risk them. Cut-
tings of all bedding plants may now be made freely, if wanted
for next season, as the young cuttings rooted in fall make
better plants for next spring's use than the old plants. This is
true of what is known as bedding plants, such as Geraniums,
Fuchsias, Verbenas, Heliotropes, etc. ; but with Roses and other
plants of a woody nature, larger plants are usually the best.
Holland bulbs, such as Hyacinths, Tulips, etc., and most of the
varieties of Lilies may be planted this month. See detailed in-
structions under " Holland Bulbs." Violets that are wanted for
winter will now be growing freely, and the runners should be
trimmed off as recommended for Strawberries last month.
Seeds of Pansies, Daisies, Mignonette, Sweet Alyssum, Candy-
tuft, etc., should now be sown in the early part of the monih.
The early part of this month is as late as Chrysanthemums
should be pinched back.
Fruit Garden. — New plantations of Strawberry plants may
still be made from the runners that have been layered in pots.
The sooner in the month they are planted, the stronger they
will be for next season. These plants will soon make runners,
which must be trimmed off to throw the strength into the
crowns for next season's fruiting. Attend to Raspberries and
Blackberries as advised last month, if not then done.
Vegetable Garden. — Seeds of Cabbage, Cauliflower, and
Lettuce, to raise plants to be placed in cold frames, should be
sown in this latitude from the tenth to the twentieth of this
month. The main crop of Spinach or Sprouts that is wanted
for winter or spring use, should be sown about the same dates.
Celery may now have the earth drawn to it with the hoe pre-
paratory to earthing up by the spade. Onions that were not
dried ani harvested last month must be done this, or it will be
too late. The early or fiat sorts of Turnips may yet be sown
the first week of this month.
OCTOBER.
Greenhouse and Flower Garden. — In almost all northern
localities, tender plants yet outside should be got under cover
MONTHLY CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 395
the early pan of this month. Avoid the use of fire heat as long
as possible. Unless the nights become cold enough to chill the
plants inside of the house, they are better without fire heat,
though the greenhouse at this season should never be allowed
to fall below fifty degrees at night. When there is indication
that the night is likely to be cold, let down the sashes that
have been raised for ventilation, early in the afternoon,
and thus shut up the heated air until next day. If there
is a cold frame or pit at hand, the hardier sorts of plants,
such as Roses, Carnations, Camellias, Azaleas, etc., will do
better if placed there until the middle of November, than in
the ordinary greenhouse. Treated in this manner they make
strong, healthy roots, that enable them to withstand the forcing
process better when placed in the greenhouse. Look out for
and destroy insects. See methods already given in chapter on
** Insects." The planting of fall bulbs of all kinds, such as Hya-
cinths, Tulips, etc., may continue during this month. Dahlias,
Tuberoses, Gladiolus, Cannas, Caladiums, Tigridias, and all ten-
der bulbs or tubers that are planted in spring, should be taken
up before the end of the month, dried, and stowed away in
some dry place free from frost during winter.
Fruit Garden. — Strawberries that have been layered in pots
may yet be planted early this month. Great care should be
taken to trim off runners from early plantings. All kinds of
fruit-trees and shrubs may be set out. If planting is deferred
to the last of the month, the ground around the roots should
be mulched to the thickness of three or four inches with
leaves, straw, or rough manure, as a protection to the roots
against frost.
Vegetable Garden. — This is one of the busiest fall months
in the kitchen garden. Celery will now be in full growth, and
will require close attention to earthing-up, and during the last
part of the month the first lot may be stored away in trenches
for winter. See Celery. Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, Squash, Sweet
Potatoes, and all other roots not designed to be left in the
ground during winter, should be dug by the end of the month.
The Cabbage, Cauliflower, and Lettuce plants from the seed
sown about the middle of last month, should now be pricked
out in cold frames. If Lettuce is wanted for winter use, it may
be Qow planted in the greenhouse or cold frames, and will be
ready for use by Christmas. Rhubarb and Asparagus, if wanted
for use in winter, should be taken up in large clumps and
396 GARDEXIXG FOR PLEASURE.
stowed away in pit, frame, shed, or cellar for a month or two,
when it may be taken into the greenhouse and packed closely
together under the stage, and will be fit for use from January
to March, according to the temperature of the house.
NOVEMBER.
Greenhouse and Flower Garden. — All plants should now
be in-doors. A sharp lookout must be kept for cold snaps.
These often come very unexpectedly in November, and as many
plants are injured by frost in this as there are in the colder
months, when the enemy is more closely watched for. "When
fire heat is freely used, be careful to keep up the proper supply
of moisture by syringing, sprinkling the paths, etc. In the
flower garden nothing is now to be done except to clean off dead
stalks and straw up tender Roses, vines, etc., and wherever
there is time, to dig up and rake the borders, as it will greatly
facilitate spring work. All beds where Hyacinths or other fall
bulbs have been planted, had better be covered with rough
litter or leaves to the depth of two or three inches. If short,
thoroughly decayed manure can be spared, a good sprinkling
spread over the law^n will help it to a finer growth in spring.
Fruit Garden. — In cold sections the hay or straw mulching
recommended in the chapter on the "Strawberry" may be put
on during: the last of this month. Grape-vines and fruit-trees
generally should be pruned ; and if wood of the vine is wanted
for cuttings, or cions of fruit trees for grafts, they should be
tied in small neat bunches, and buried in the ground until
spring.
Vegetable Garden. — All Celery that is to be stored for
winter use should be put away before the end of the month in
all places north of Richmond, Va. South of that it may be left,
in most places, in the rows where grown, if covered up. Direc-
tions for storing Celery for winter are given under "Celery."
The stalks of Asparagus beds should be cut off; and as Aspara-
gus sometimes becomes a w^eed by the seeds dropping, it is bet-
ter to burn the stems if there are berries on them. Spread a
heavy dressing of rough manure three or four inches thick on
the beds. All roots that are yet in the ground, and not de-
signed to b3 left there all Avinter, must be dug up in this lat-
itude before the middle of the month, or they may be frozen
in until spring. Onions, Spinach, Sprouts, Cabbage, or Lettuce
MONTHLY CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 397
plants that are outside should be covered with two or three
inches of leaves, salt hay, or straw, to protect them during
winter. Cabbages that have headed may be usually preserved
against injury by frost until the middle of next month, by
simply pulling them up, and packing them close together in a
dry spot in the open field with the heads down and roots up.
On the approach of cold weather in December they should
bo covered up with leaves as high as the tops of the roots ; or,
if the soil is light, it may be thrown over them if leaves are
not convenient. Cabbages so packed will keep until March, if
the covering has not been put on too early. Where small lots
only are grown, these and Cauliflower may be hung up in
a cool cellar, and will keep for months. Whenever it is practi-
cable, all empty ground should be dug or plowed this month,
trenching or subsoiling, whenever time will permit. All such
operations, when performed in the fall, not only benefit the
soil, but greatly facilitate work at the hurried season in the
spring. The cold frames where Cabbage, Lettuce, or Caul-
iflower plants have been planted will now require regular
ventilation by lifting up the sashes in warm days, and on
the approach of very cold weather, straw mats or shutters
would be a great protection to the plants. For the CauU-
flower this protection is absolutely necessary here.
DECEMBER.
Greenhouse and Flower Garden. — We are now fairly into
winter, and close attention must be given to protecting all
tender plants. It is one of the commonest complaints, es-
pecially from ladies, that their plants "looked so nice until
one cold night in December " defeated the whole care of the
year by killing or wounding hundreds of the cherished favorites
of the greenhouse or windo%v garden. There is no rule but
vigilance ; and as extra strong fires will be kept up, look out
again nightly for all combustible matter near the flue or
chimney. If, by sundown, you find the thermometer in the
greenhouse or parlor where your plants are kept, falling down to
thirty-four or thirty-fi^e degrees, the chances are that there will
be frost in the house before morning unless the fires are kept up.
If there are not sufiicient heating arrangements, the best pro-
tection, in such cases, is either to set the plants under the
benches or on the walk if in the greenhouse, or move them from
398 GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
the cold point if in the parlor. If the plants are low and uni-
form in hight, covering them with paper or sheeting will usually
save them from injury, even if the thermometer falls to twenty-
six or twenty-eight degrees. Another plan, where the heating
apparatus is not sufficient, is to dash water on the pipes or
flue in the greenhouse on cold nights, when the steam, rising
to the glass, freezes there, and stops up all crevices. All
mulching, strawing up, or other modes of protecting against
frost in use in the flower garden, must be fmished this month.
Fruit Garden. — Grape-vines, Raspberries, etc., in sections
where protection from severe frost is of advantage, should be
attended to this month, by laying them down as near the
ground as possible, and covering them with rough Utter or
leaveS; or with a few inches of soil, and Strawberries mulched.
Vegetable Garden. — The final covering of Celery in trenches
or roots in pits ; the Spinach crop in the ground, or any other
plant in need of protection, must have it done before the end
of this month. Manure and compost heaps should now be for-
warded as rapidly as possible, and turned and mixed so as to be
in proper condition for spring. Snow that accumulates on cold
frames or other glass structures should be removed, particularly
if the soil that the glass covers was not frozen before the snow
fell. If frozen, it may remain on the sashes longer ; for the
plants if frozen are, of course, dormant, and would not be
injured by being deprived of light for eight or ten days.
INDEX.
Amaryllis, Plantiug 58
Angle Worm 206
Anuual Seeds, How to Sow 110
Flowers, List of 109, 1 10
Ants.. 204
Aphis, How to Destroy .202
Ground or Blue .20;3
Apple, Culture of.. .293
Varieties of.. 291
Apricot, Culture of 292
Varieties of 293
Aquatic Plants. See ''Water
Lily" 118
Aquatic Plants, Hardy. .111
Articholie, Globe 307
Artidioke, Jerusalem. .308
Asparagus 301
Culture of-. ..305
Varieties of .807
Beetle 307
B
Baskets, Hanging 112
Baskets, Hanging, Plants for.. 113
Bean, Bush, Snap, or Kidney.. 309
Bush, Culture of .309
Bush, Varieties of 309
Pole or Running, and Lima-309
Pole or Running, and Lima,
Culture of ...309
Pole or Running, and Lima,
Varieties of ...310
Bedding, " Caii)et Style " of .32, 35
Bedding Plants 33, 34
Beet, Culture of ..311
Varieties of 311
Spinach ..351
Bermuda Easter Lily 47
Blackberry 276
Blackberrj', Varieties of 276
Black Cap Raspberry 275
Black Cap Raspbeny, Varieties
of... 276
Blind Shoots 66
Blood and Bone 19
Bone Dust 17
Bone Flour 19
Borecole or Kale. '.311
Borecole or Kale, Varieties of .311
3r;9
Boxes for Seeds 62
Broccoli, Culture of ..312
Broccoli, Varieties of 313
Brussels Sprouts 313
Bryant's Plant Protector 327
Budding C9
Budding, Various Methods of. 79
Bulbs, Fall or Holland 44
How to Grow in Pots 44
How to Grow in Moss 45
Tropical 80
Bush Bean .309
C
Cabbage, Culture of 316
Varieties of.. 317
Turnip-rooted 332
Caladiums 81
Calendar, IMonthlv. See"Month-
ly Calendar". ...383
Calla, or Lily of the Nile 55
Camellias, Crafting.. _. 74
Propagating 66
Carpet Style of Bedding 32
Carrot " 317
Culture of 318
Varieties of .317
Cauliflower, Culture of 314
Varieties of 315
Celeriac 324
Celery 318
Culture of 319
Raising Young Plants 318
HandUng 320
Varieties of. ;i22
Tuniip-rooted 324
Cellar and Greenhouse Com-
bined 186
Chard, Swiss 351
Cherry, Culture of 286
Varieties of 286
Chives.. 325
Chiysanthemura 147
Culture of 148
House Culture. 149
Pinching and Disbudding. 150
Early Varieties 151
Late Varieties. .151
Climbers, Hardy, List of 191
Cold Grapery 247
Color in Flowers, La^^of 215
400
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
Cordon Trainins: of Pear Trees .296
Corn, Culture of .825
Varieties of 326
Salad or Fetticus 324
Conservatories attached to
Dwellin": 164
Cottage Gardeuii]g 301
Cress or Pepper Grass 325
Indian. -'. 340
Water 325
Crocuses, Planting 44
Cucumber, Culture of 327
Forcing 328
Varieties of 329
Curculio or Plum Weevil 287
Currant, Culture of - . -280
Varieties of 282
Worm 280
Cuttings, Propagating Plants by 64
Proper Condition for 65
Cyclamen, Planting 59
»
Deciduous Shrubs, Hardy, List
of 189
Designs for Gardens .27-30
Dewberry 279
Drain, Board 12
For Road Bed 16
Rubble 11
Tile---- 11
Drainage for Garden .-- 10
Methods of 10
Drive . - - - 15
Width of .--- 15
E
Egg Plant, Culture of 330
Varieties of 330
Endive, Culture of 330
Varieties of 331
Evergi-een Shi-ubs, Hai-dy, List
of 190
Trees, Hardy, List of 191
Feraeries 159
Fertilizers, Adulteration of 20
Concentrated 18
Cost of --- 19
Special.-.. - - 20
Fetticus or Com Salad -324
Figs---. ---284
Culture of-... 285
Varieties of 285
"Fii-ming" the Soil. Its Im-
portance - - 358
Flower Beds, Planting 31
Flower Beds, " Carpet Style" 32-35
Designs for 31-43
Ribbon Lines 38
Massing in Colors 38
Flower Stand 157
Flowers, Annual 109
Annual, List, of 110
Law of Color in 215
That Grow in the Shade.- -199
Flues, Heating by - 179
Folding Plant Stand 157
Forcing or Hot Grapeiy .253
Frozen Plants, Treatment of ..208
O
Garden Culture of the Rose . . - 91
Designs 27-30
Drainage of 10
Implements. .359
Location and Soil 9
Prepai*ation of Ground for. 13
Protection by Hedges 9
Shelter Important 9
Vegetable -303
Vegetable, Plan for - 304
Veranda 115
Walks, How to Malie 14
Gardening, Cottage -301
Parlor.- -153
Window 116
Garlic 331
Gas Tar on Pipes Injurious 177
Gladiolus, Planting 57
Glass and Glazing"-- --.169
Glasses for Hyacinths . - 47
Globe Artichoke 307
Gooseberry 282
Culture at Paterson, N. J. -284
Varieties of 283
Grafting and Budding 69
Grafting, Cleft ". 76
Side 77
Whip 77
The Camellia 78
Wax . - . - 77
Grape Cuttings -- 243
Grapes, Hardv- .-- 238
Hardy, Planting - .239
Hardy, Covering 241
Hardy, Pruning and Train-
ing 239-241
Hardy, How to Propagate. 243
Hardy, Varieties of 244
Hot-house, Pruning ._251
Mildew on 243
Grapery, Cold 247
Hot-house or Forcing 253
INDEX.
401
Grapery, Lean-to ...249
Grasses, Hardy Oruamental ...198
Grass Seed for Lawu 24
Gieenliouse and Cellar Com-
bined.. 187
Greenhouse Plants, List of 155
Greenhouses Attached to Dwell-
ing 161
Detached 165
or Pits Without Artificial
Heat 184
Green Flv or Aphis, How to
Destroy 202
Ground Not to be Worked when
Wet 13
Guano, How to Use 17
Mixing: with Earth 18
Peruvian 17
Quantity to Apply 19
H
HanG:inQ: Baskets 112
JFilliuo: .-114
Hardy Aquatics. See Water
Lilies... .141
Shrubs, Climbers, and Trees
.... 189
"Hay Seed" for Lawn ^
Heating by Flues 179
by Hotbeds 182
by Hot Water ..176
by Steam 176
Hedges for Protecting Gardens . 9
Herbaceous Perennials, Hardy 19 J
Perennials, Hardy, List oif-196
Herbs, Sweet o31
Hoiticultm-e, Humbugs in 216
Horseradish 331
Hotbeds, Heating by 182
Hotbeds, Covering and Venti-
lating .183
Hothouse or Forcing Grapery. 253
Plants 87
Plants, General Treatment. 81
House, Approach to 15
Humbugs in Horticulture 216
Hy acin ths in Pots 44
in Glasses 47
in Moss 45
Planting 55
I
Implements, Garden 359
AUan's Hand Weeder 379
Aphis Brush 384
Asparagus Knife 384
Bill Hook 384
Budding Knives.. 365
Implements, Carder), Coniinwcl.
Children's Gai-den Tools.. 378
Digging Fork 361
Draw Hoe 363
Dutch or Push Hoe 363
Excelsior Hand Weeder... 379
Flower Gatherer .366
Fluid Bellows or Vaporizer 377
Fumigator 378
Garden Engiue 375
Garden Rake 369
Garden Holler 368
Garden Syringe. 374
Garden Trowel 366
Gardener's Gloves b84
Grape Scissors 365
Grass Edging or Border
Shears. .\. ....370
Grass Edging Knife . 370
Grass Hook 370
Hand Cultivators 362
Hand Glasses .379
Hand Pruning Shears 371
Hand Weeders 379
Hazeltine's Hand Weeder. 379
Hedge Shears ..370
Hose Reel 362
Ladies' Garden Tools 378
Lawn Mowci-s 266
Lawn Rake 369
Lawn Scythes . . 366
La^vn Sprinkler 364
Lopping or Branch Pruning
Shears 371
Manure Fork ..361
Mole Traps 372
Noyes's Hand Weeder 379
Onion Weeder 379
Pea Vine or White's Trellis '^m
Plant Protector 327
Plant Sprinkler 378
Pole Tree Prunor 372
Portable Hand Force Pump 376
Powder Bellows 376
Prong Hoe 363
Pruning Knives 365
Pruning Saw - .373
Push Hoe 363
Heel and Line 3(>5
Rubber Hose 361
Shovel 860
Sickle 370
Spade - 360
Step Ladder :^3
Thermometers 383
Thistle and Weed Cutter.. 3?2
Tree Scraper 384
Trellises 380
Warren Hoe 363
402
GAKDEKING FOR PL EA.SURE.
Implements, Garden, Continued.
Water Barrel and Truck. .-374
Watering Pot 376
WheelbaiTOAv 359
White's Trellis 381
Indian Cress 'i^
Insects, Angle Worm 206
Ants...^ 204
Asparagus Beetle 307
Brown and White Scale 205
Curculio or Plum Weevil- -287
Green Fly or Aphis 202
Ground or Blue Aphis 203
Injurious to Plants 200
Mealy Bug 205
Eed Spider 204
Eose Bug IOC, 201
Eose Chafer 201
Eose Slug 201
Thrips 205
Instructions, General S58
J
Japan Persimmon 289
Jardinieres 159
Jerasalem Artichoke H08
Jonquils, Planting 44
K
Kale or Borecole 311
Kohlrabi or Tm-nip-rooted Cab-^
bage 332
Kidney Bean 309
Lath Screens 212
Law of Color in Flowers 215
Lawn 22
Ants on 26
How to Prepare a 23
How to Eenovate 26
Grass Seeds for a 24
Sodding a 23
Weeds in ^26
Mowers £66
Lawns on Sloping Banks 25
Planting 31
LaTering, Propagatino: by 68
Leek..::.— .r. 3o2
Lettuce ^32
Culture of 333
Varieties of 333
Lilies, Planting 44-54
Water. See "Water Lil-
ies" ----118
Lily, Berumda Easter, Forcing- 47
of the Nile or Calla 55
of the Valley, Forcing 50
Lima Bean 309
Location of Garden 9
in
Manures, See also "Fertiliz-
ers" 17
Manure, Stable 17
Martynia 833
Mealy Bug 2C5
Melon, Musk, Culture of Sc3
Musk, Vaiieties of .034
Water, Culture of 3^ 5
Water, Varieties of 335
Mildew 206
on Grapes 243
on Roses 99
Monthly Calendar of Opera-
tions 385
January £85
February £86
March 387
April 388
May 390
June 391
July 393
August £93
September. £94
October 394
November 896
December 397
Mulching, its Objects and Meth-
ods 209
Mushi'oom, Culture of c36
Forcing in Cellars, etc 338
Musk Melon 333
Mustard . . .. 335
IS
Narcissus, Planting 44
Nasturtium 340
Nectarine, Culture of '*i92
Varieties of. 292
O
Okra .340
Onion, Cultm-e of £40
Insect Enemies of 104
Varieties of 341
Potato 341
Orchids, Culture of 101
Select Lists of . 101-102
Oi-namental -leaved Plsnts 107
Parlor Gardening Accessories. .157
Conditions "Necessai-y fur
Success 153
List of Plants for 155-156
IIs^DEX.
403
Parsley 343
Parsnip .34:i
Pea, Culture of 342
Grovvn ou Pea Vine Trellis-345
Variotic's of .344
Viue Trellis .;J44
Peach 293
Culture of .201
Varieties of 291
Pear-. '^94
Culture aud Traiuiug 294
Varieties of .293
Pear Trees, Cordon Training ..2-X
Pepi)er 346
Pepper Grass or Cress. .325
Perennials, Hardy Herbaceous. 193
Hardy Hei-baceous, List of. 196
Winter-flowering 85
Perpetual Spinach 351
Pershnmon, Japanese 289
Peruvian Guano 17
Pit, Sunken ._ 185
Pits or Greenhouses Without
Artiilcial Heat 184
Plant Protector, Bryant's 327
Plant Stand, Folding 157
Plants, Bedding 33-34
by "Saucer System" 66
for Sninmer Decoration ...106
for Wardian Cases 160
for Shady Places 199
Frozen 208
from Cuttings 64
from Seed 5 61
from Layers 68
Greenhouse 86
Hothouse or Tr.jpical 87
How to Pot 83
in Ivooais... 153
i'l Rooms Not Unhealthy .155
Ornamcntal-luaved 107
•Potting from the Open
Ground 154
Repotting 84
Temperature for 156
Unhealthy 104
Planting in Circles 32
Flower Beds 31
Lawns 31
Plum 287
Culture of 288
Varieties of 288
Plum Weevil or Curculio 287
Pole Beans 309
Potato, Culture of 3-16
Varieties of 346
Potato, Sweet :]53
Potato Onion 341
Pots, Draining 89
Pots, Plunging 154
Proper Size for Plants 89
Potting Plants 83
Propagating by Layering- 08
by Cuttings 64
by "Saucer System" iiij
by Seeds 61
^v'oody Plants 66
"Protecting Cloth" 185
Prunmg 233
V/iiere to Cut 235
For Shape 237
Grajje \ mes 239-242
Hotiiouse Grapes 251
Spur.. 240, 251
Pumpidu 346
Q
Quince 285
Culture of-.. 286
Varieties of 286
R
Radish. C alture of 347
Varieties of 347
RasiDberry 270
Time to Plant. ..270
Pruning 2?'0
Winter Covering .271
Varieties of- 273
Black Cap or Thimbleberry 275
Varieties of 276
Red Spider 204
Re-pottlng Plants 84
Rhubarb, Culture of 317
Varieties of 348
Road Drain 16
Room Plants, How to Grow.. .153
Not Unhealthy 158
Rose Bug 100,201
Chafer 201
Slug 201
Rose, Garden Culture of. 91
Rose Growing in Winter 94
Soil aud Benches 95
Distance to Plant 95
Ventilation 96
Watering and Mulching... 96
Pruning 98
Varieties to Force 98
Mildew 99
Bug. - 100
Roses, Propagation of 06
T a or Monthly 93
Hybrid Tea 92
Perpetual 93
Soil and Cultivation in the
Garden 93
Running Bean 309
404
GARDENING FOR PLEASURE.
S
Salsify or Oyster Plant 349
Black, or iScorzouera 849
Saucers for Pots 157
Scale, Brown and White -205
Scorzonera 349
Screens for Plants 212
Sea Kale, Cultui*e of 349
Seed Boxes 62
Seeds, Annual, How to Sow 109,110
Propagating Plants from.. 61
Tropical , 82
Seedlings, Damping off 63
Shade, Flowers adapted for 199
Shadmg 211
With "Protecting Cloth ".185
Different Kinds of 215
Shallots 350
Shelter for Garden 9
Shingles for Shading 211
Shoots, Bhnd ". 66
Shrubs, Hardy, List of 189
Side Grafting 77
Snap Beans-- 309
Snowdi'ops, Planting 44
Smoke Flue 179
Soil for Potting 83
For Seeds- 62
Importance of " Firming " 358
Must not be Worked when
Wet S58
Special Fertilizers 20
Spinach 350
Culture of 351
New Zealand 351
Peii^etual 351
Substitutes for 351
Squash, Culture of- - .352
Varieties of 352
Strawberry 256
Forcing 266
[Manures for 257
Runners in Pots 258
Soil for 256
Varieties of 261
Strawberries. When to Plant- --257
Successioual Crops of Vegeta-
bles 357
Sunken Pit 185
Sweet Herbs, List of 331
Sweet Potato 353
Best Vaiiety 355
Pi-opagation and Culture- -353
Swiss Chard - 351
X
Temperature for Growing
Plants 86, 156
Thimbleberry- - - -275
Thrips- - 205
Tobacco for Destroying Insects 202
Tomato 355
Culture of 356
Time to Sow Seed 356
Varieties of 856
Trees, List of Evergreen 191
Pruning Fruit-" 2c3
Tropical Bulbs 80
Plants 87
Seeds 82
Tuberose, Planting and Forc-
ing 53
Tulips, Planting 44
Turnip 356
Time to Sow Seed 356
Varieties of 356
Tumip-rooted Cabbage or Kohl-
rabi 832
r
Unhealthy Plants, Treatment
of 104
V
Vegetable Garden -303
Plan for 304
Vegetables, Successional Crops
" of-.! 357
Veranda Garden 115
W
Walks, Garden, How to Make . 14
Wardian Cases 159
Watering Potted Plants 85
Water Cress 325
Water Lilies US
Enemies of 126
Hardy, List of 141-147
In Central Park 124
In Tubs and Basins 125
Soil for 125
Tropical, List of 12^141
Water Lily Bed 126
Garden 121
Tank, How to Make 118
Tank, What to GroAV in It,
.... 118-119
Water Melon 335
Wax, Grafting 77
Weeds, W^hen to Kill 359
Whip Grafting T7
Whitewash for Shading Glass. .214
Window Boxes 116-117
Gardening 116
Winter-flowering Plants 85
Temperature for 86-156
Woody Plants, Propagation of. 66
Worm, Angle - . - 206
Currant 280
Alphabetical Catalogue
-♦ ® B
-V — yw
0. Jfldd Co., David W. Judd. Presi
;? PUBLISHERS AND IMPORTERS OF
All Works pertaining to Rural Life.
Agriculture^ Horticulture, Etc.
Allen, R. L. and L. F. Xcw Amcricui F.nm Book... S'250
American Farmer's Hand Book .." 2.50
Asparagus Culture. Fiox.cioiii 50
Bamford, C. E. Siikcuiture. rnpcv ';j(j
Barry, P. The Fmit GanliMi. New and Revised Edition ... 2.'oa
Bommer. Method of Making Manures 25
Brackett. Fa nn Talk. Paper 50c. Cloth '75
Brill. Farm-Gardening and Seed-Growiiii,^ 1.00
Cauliflowers 2^
Broom-Corn and Brooms jm
2 0. JUDD CO.'S ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE.
Curtis on Wheat Culture. P^^pei so
Emerson and Flint. Manual of Agriculture 1.50
Farm Appliances- lOO
Farm Conveniences i-'O
Farming for Boys i^»
Farming for Profit 3.75
FitZ. t5\v^et Potato Ciiliiire. New and Eiilar<;e(l Edition. Cloth GO
Flax Culture. Paper .30
French. FaimDraiua^^e , l.^.O
Fuller, A. S. Pincilcai Forestry 1.50
Propagation of Plants — 1.50
Gregory. On Ca!)ba;4i;s 30
On Carrots, Mangold Will tzuls, etc 30
On Fertilizers 40
On Or.ioii Raising ... .30
On Squashes 30
Harris^ Joseph. Gardenim: for Young and Old 1.25
Talks on Manures. New and Revised Edition. .. 1.75
Henderson, Peter. GardeningforPleasure. New. enlarged edition. 2.00
Gardening for Protit. New and Enlitrg'ed Edition. 2.00
Garden and Farm Topics 1-50
Hand Book of Plants 3.00
Practical Floriculture. New and Enlarged Edition.... 1.50
Henderson & CrOZier. How tlie Farm Pays 2.50
Hop Culture. New ami Revised Edition. Paper 30
Illustrated Dictionary of Gardening. Vols. i. ii. in.
and IV. Each 5.00
Johnson, M. W. HowtoPlant. Paper 50
Johnson, Prof. S. W. How Crops Feed 2.00
How Crops Grow 2.00
Jones, B. W. The Peanut Plant. Paper 50
Lawn Planting. P'lpei- 25
Leiand. Farm Homes, In-Doors. and Out-Doors. New Edition 1.50
Long, Elias A. Ornnmental Gardening for Americans 2.00
Morton. Fanner's Calendar 5.00
Nichols. Cliemistryof Farm and Sea 1.25
Norton. Elements of Sciemillc ALiricnlture 75
Oemler. Tmck-Farmingat the South 1.50.
Onions. How to Raise tliem Profitably 20
Our Farm of Four Acres. Pipi so
Pabor, Wm. E. Colorado as an Agricultural Siate. 1.50
Parsons. On the Rose 1-50
Pedder. Land Measurer for Farmers. Cloili 60
Plant Life on the Farm -00
Quinn. M<niey in the Garden 1.50
Riley. Potato Pests. Paper... 50
Robinson. Facts for Farmers 5.00
Roe. Play and Piofit in my Garden 159
Roosevelt. Five Acres Too Much 1.50
Sheehan, JaS. YourPlants. Paper 40
Silos and Ensilage- New and Enlarged Edit' jn 50
Starr. Farm Echoes 100
Stewart, irrigation for the Farm, Garden and Orchard 1.50
O. JUDD CO.'S ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE. 3
Stewart. Sori^hnm and Its Products l.."0
Ten Acres Enough i.oo
The Soil of the Farm i.oo
Thomas. Farm implements and Machinf-rj- 1.50
Tim Bunker Papers; or, Yankee Farming 1.50
Tobacco Culture. Paper 25
Treat, injurious lusecls of the Farm r.nd Garden 2.00
Ville. Scliool of Chemical Maiuiie- 1.25
Ilii;li FarmiiiLj wiilioiit Manures 25
Ariilicial M:iuiin-s G.OO
Waring. Book of the Farm 2.00
Draining lor Profit and Health 1.50
Waring. Elements of Agriculture 1.00
Farmers' Vacation
Sanitary Drainage of Houses and Towns 2.00
Sanitary Condition in City and Country Dwellings 50
Warington. Chemi-try of the P^arm l.CO
White. Gardening for the Soutti 2.00
1.00
.50
FKITITS, FI.OWKRS, ETC.
American Rose Culturist 30
American Weeds and Useful Plants
Bailey. Field Notes on Apple Culture. T3
Black. The Cultivation of the Peach and the Pear on the Delaware
and Chesapeake Peninsula 1.50
BouSSingault. Rmal Economy l.CO
Chorlton. Gia))e-Giower's Guide. New and Enhum-d Edition 75
Collier, Peter. Sorirlmm, its culture and Manuractme 3.'.H)
Common Sea Weeds. Boards 50
Downing. Fi nit- and Fruit Trees of America. Now Edition 5.00
Rural Es<a.vs 3.00
Elliott. Hrind Book lor Fruil-Growers. Pai)er JiOc. Cloih 1.00
Every Woman her own Flower Gardener
Fern Book for Everybody
Fuller, A. S. Gmp.,- Cuiturist l.so
lllus'rali'd Strawberry Cultuiist 25
Small Fruit Culturist. New Edition 1.50
Fulton. Penc'i Culture. New and Revised Edition 1.50
Heinrich. window Flower Garden T5
Hibberd, Shirley. The Amateur's Flower Gnnleu 2.5(1
Tiie Amtiteiir's Greenliouse and Cousei vaioiy. 2 50
The Amateur's Rose Book 2 HO
HOOpeS. Book of Evergreens 3.00
Husmann,Prof.Ceo. American Grape growing and WineMakiiig l.rO
Johnson. Winter Gieeueiies at Honn; 1-CO
Meech, Rev. W. W. Quince Culture
Moore, Rev. J. W. Orange Culture 100
My Vineyard at Lakeview ^ '-^^
Origin of Cultivated Plants ^ '•s
Quinn. Pear Culture Ipr Profit. New and Revised Edition. 100
4 0. JUDD CO. S ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE.
Rivers. Miniatuie Fruit Garden l.OO
Rixford. Wine Press and Cellar .. 1.50
Robinson. Ferns in tlieir Homes and Ours 1.50
Roe. Success Willi Small Frnils 2.50
Saunders, insects injurious to Fruits 3 00
Thomas. American Fruit Ciillnri?t 2.00
Vick. Flower and Veiietable Garden. Cloth 1.00
Webb, Jas. C.ipe Cod Cranberries. Paper 40
White. Cranberry Calture 1.25
WiiliamSf B. S. Orchid Grower's :\Iannal.. G.50
Wood, Samuel. Modern window Gardening ,. 1.25
Cattle, Dogs, Sheep, Swioe, Pooltry, Etc.
CATTLE, J^BLEEP, ANI> SlVI.liE.
Allen, L. F. American Cattle. New and Revised Edition 2.50
Armatage, Prof. Ceo. EveryMun His Own Cattle Doctor. 8vo,. 7.50
Armsby. Manual of CattleFeediui,' 2.50
Cattle. The Varieties, Breedinir, and ManaLrement 75
Coburn, F. D. Swine Husi)andry. New and Revised Edition 1.75
Clok. Diseases of Sheep 1.25
Dadd, Prof. Ceo. H. American Cattle Doctor. 12nio I.,o0
American Cattle Doct(>r. 8vo. Cloth 2.50
Fleming. Veterinary Obstetrics G.OO
Cuenon. OnMilcliCows l.UO
Harris, Joseph. On thePig i so
Heatley, C. S. Every Man his Own Veterinarian. 12mo 2.5)
Jennings. On Catlle and their Diseases 125
On Sheep, Swine, and Poultry, 1.25
Jersey, Alderney, and Cuernsey Cow i.50
Keepmg One Cow • i.oo
Macdonaid. Food from the Far West 1.50
McClure. Diseases of the American Horse, Cattle, and Sheep 1.25
McCombie, Wm. Cattle and Cattle Breeders 1.50
Martin, R. B. Ho,i;-Rai sing and Pork-Making,' 40
Miles. Stock Breeding 1.50
Powers, Stephen. The American Merino for Wool and Glutton.
A praelicil and valuable work. 1.50
Quincy, Hon. JOSiah. On Solllnu Cattle 1.25
Randall. Fine Wool sheep Husbandry 1.09
• Practical Shepherd 2.00
ReaSOr. OntheHoo; I,.o0
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Sheldon, J. P. Dairy Farming, peini: the Theory. Practice and
Methods of Dairying. With 25 Cplpred Plates. 4to. Full Gilt S.OO
Shepherd, Major W. prairie Experience in Handling Cattle... 1,00
Stewart, Henry. Shepherd'sManHal. New and Enlarged Edition.. 1.50
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The Sheep. lis Varieties and Miiiia<,'oiuent. Boards 75
Willard, X. A. Practical Dairy Husbandry, gvo. Cloih 3.00
Practical Butter Book. A C<'mi)lete Tre:iti>e on
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Youatt. On Sheep l.UO
I>OGS, ETC.
Burgess. American Kenncl and Spoitin;? Field. 8vo 3.00
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Do;,'s of the Biitisii Islands. Svo 6.O0
'I'he Greyhound 5.50
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TheGallop. 4to. Paper 100
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Chawner, R. Diseases of the Horse and How to Treat Them. 12ino 1.'.'5
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Dadd, G. H. American Reloriiied Horse Book. 8vo 2.50
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Day, W. Tiic R;i(:c Horse in 'J'rainin^-. 8vo 4.09
Du Hays, C. Perclieron Horse. New and Revised Edition. 12ni<).. 1.00
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